Further progress in the study of whether and how pet dogs synchronize their walking pace with that of their owners: “Pet Dogs Synchronize Their Walking Pace With That of Their Owners In Open Outdoor Areas,” Charlotte Duranton, Thierry Bedossa, and Florence Gaunet, Animal Cognition, epub 2017. The authors, at Aix-Marseille University, AVA Association [Cuy-Saint-Fiacre], and […]
Tag: Dogs
Lamb on Abdominal Ultrasonography in Dogs With Diarrhoea [research study]
Doubts about abdominal ultrasonography in dogs with diarrhoea are discussed in Lamb‘s new treatise: “How Useful is Abdominal Ultrasonography in Dogs With Diarrhoea?” Emma K. Mapletoft, Karin Allenspach, and Chris R. Lamb [pictured here], Journal of Small Animal Practice, epub November 2017. The authors, at the Royal Veterinary College, UK, report: “Abdominal ultrasonography had moderate utility […]
Introducing the “Visual Muzzle” (new patent)
A new patent from inventor Yee Chong Leung of Shatin, Hong Kong provides a warm cap for a pet (say, for example a dog) – but its key feature is that it also operates as an electronic ‘Visual Muzzle’. Wearing the cap, the pet is obliged to look though goggles made of smart glass or […]
The special DOGS (and Cats) issue is out!
The special DOGS (and Cats) issue (vol. 21, no. 4) of the magazine (the Annals of Improbable Research) is now out! Articles include: “Cats and Dogs Research Review“ “Ig and Beyond: Dogs on Faces, Mice on Art“ “AIR Vents (letters from our readers)“ …and more, more, more, including new helpings of “Improbable Medical Review”, “Boys Will Be Boys”, “Soft Is […]
Discarded dog-poop bags – a photo essay
It was somewhere around 2007, that Dr. John Darwell, who is a senior lecturer in photography at the University of Cumbria, UK, began researching and photographically documenting the phenomenon of ‘ddsbs‘. “Over the past two years I have observed with increasing fascination the growing number of discarded dog shit bags (ddsbs) I encounter whilst out […]
Dogs with a wider angle of wag are at risk
This study focuses public attention on the (hitherto largely ignored) concept of wider angle of wag: “Risk factors for tail injuries in dogs in Great Britain,” G. Diesel, D. Pfeiffer, S. Crispin and D. Brodbelt, Veterinary Record, vol. 166, no. 26, June 26, 2010, pp. 812-7. The authors report: “Data were obtained from a stratified random […]
‘Dog Stories’ (their value for journalists)
How can professional journalists draw public attention to important news stories? A team of investigators from the University of California and the University of Miami have a word of advice. And the word is ‘Dogs’. Their findings are published in PS: Political Science & Politics, (Volume 47, Issue 04, October 2014, pp 819-823) under the […]
Dog lapping in the matrix
A fluid dynamics approach to gaining understanding (adding to what’s known) of the way liquids are reliably transferred into the mouths of dogs and cats: “Dog lapping in the matrix,” presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 23, 2014 — November 25, 2014), by Sean Gart (Virginia Tech) Jake Socha […]
Hot dogs (canines) with hops
Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) should if possible avoid hops (Humulus lupulus). For dogs ingesting hops can, and often do, overheat to an alarming, sometimes life-threatening degree. *see note. The physiological pathways involved are as yet poorly understood unknown. See: Toxicology Brief: Hops Make Dogs Hot, Veterinary Technician, August 2013 (Vol 34, No 8). * Note: […]
Dogs ‘n kids ‘n brain-related pictures
Maybe dogs and kids are a key, arriving at last, to understanding how the brain thinks thoughts and feels emotions. Maybe. It’s still essentially a mystery how the brain (which has been called “the most complex object in the universe“) does most of what it does. The mystery is especially deep about how — specifically — […]