1. As much as we love our dogs, we still don’t fully understand what’s going on inside their minds. But some researchers are on the hunt to solve the mystery of canine cognition, starting with answering the most basic question: How do dogs think? Research published last week in the journal Animal Cognition offers rare insight into how dogs’ minds form a representation of the world through their favorite objects: toys. (via Inverse)
2. The three sisters knew they had to leave home. They were African wild dogs, elite predators of the sub-Saharan region and among the most endangered mammals on Earth. At 3 years old, they were in the prime of their vigor, ferocity and buoyant, pencil-limbed indifference to gravity. If they did not seize the chance to trade the security of their birth pack for new opportunities elsewhere, they might well die as they had lived: as subordinate, self-sacrificing maiden aunts with no offspring of their own. And so, in October of last year, the sisters set forth on the longest and most harrowing odyssey ever recorded for Lycaon pictus, a carnivore already known as a wide-ranging wanderer. Over the next nine months, the dogs traveled some 1,300 miles, which, according to the scientists who tagged them, is more than twice the previous record for the species. (via The New York Times)
3. Who’s a good boy? Trumpet — and he has the accolades to prove it. The 4.5-year-old bloodhound from St. Joseph, Illinois, has long floppy ears, a soft face and a lot of wrinkles. And now he also has the highest U.S. dog show prize. “I was shocked,” Heather Buehner, Trumpet’s handler who also goes by Heather Helmer, told the Associated Press. This year, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Show said it had more than 3,000 eager entrants. The dog show lasted three days as the finalists were narrowed down. (via The Sacramento Bee)
4. Trumpet the bloodhound won the coveted best in show prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Wednesday night, but victories like his don’t come cheap. Each year, the winning dog walks away with the Westminster Legend Trophy, a hand-engraved crystal bowl. But even for the first-place champion, there is no cash prize. In fact, competing at the nation's most prestigious dog show can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Entry fees start at $100, according to the premium list for this year’s event. Then there are the expenses of traveling to New York for the show—hotels and transportation—as well as ongoing grooming and upkeep of the dog’s appearance. So what do the winners actually win? (via Fortune)
5. For a brief, shining moment last summer, Wasabi the Pekingese was the most celebrated dog in America, all hair and hauteur as he posed next to his best in show trophy at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. But a new champion will be crowned on Wednesday, when the 2022 competition comes to a close at Lyndhurst, a mansion in Tarrytown, N.Y. Which raises the questions: What has happened to the old champion? Once a dog reaches the pinnacle of success, what does he do next? (via NYTimes)
6. The French bulldog business is booming for Jaymar Del Rosario, a breeder whose puppies can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. When he leaves the house to meet a buyer, his checklist includes veterinary paperwork, a bag of puppy kibble and his Glock 26. “If I don’t know the area, if I don’t know the people, I always carry my handgun,” Mr. Del Rosario said on a recent afternoon as he displayed Cashew, a 6-month-old French bulldog of a new “fluffy” variety that can fetch $30,000 or more.Some are also being violently stolen from their owners. Over the past year, thefts of French bulldogs have been reported in Miami, New York, Chicago, Houston and — especially, it seems — across California. Often, the dogs are taken at gunpoint. (via The New York Times, NBC Miami, Fox 32 Chicago, Los Angeles Times, KHOU News)
7. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, dog-transmitted diseases such as cystic echinococcosis (CE), rabies and visceral leishmaniasis are endemic and are a major health and economic burden for communities. Nevertheless, efforts to control dog-related zoonoses are increasing all the time, particularly in the case of CE, and particularly since the establishment of the Iranian Research Center for Hydatid Disease (RCHD) in 2013. RCHD aims to conduct basic epidemiological and clinical research, build capacity, raise public awareness and increase community outreach to tackle this neglected zoonotic disease. This has led to important, concrete improvements. (via World Health Organization)
8. Italy’s principal rail company, Trenitalia, is allowing passengers to bring their dogs on trains for free this summer. Dogs, cats and other pets can travel on the house if they fit within a carrier measuring a maximum of 70x30x50 centimetres. Animals must be placed within the carrier throughout the journey and passengers can only bring one pet per person. The offer is valid for journeys on Trenitalia’s Freccia e Intercity trains. It is available for passengers traveling first and second class, as well as on Executive, Business, Premium and Standard tickets. (via Euronews)
9. Hundreds of corgis and thousands of dog-loving humans gathered on a San Francisco beach for the first Corgi Con since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Corgi Con, which began in 2014, happens twice a year — usually in July and October — on San Francisco's Ocean Beach, but the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Celebrities in attendance at the free admission event included Gatsby the Corgi, a canine influencer with thousands of followers and tens of millions of views on YouTube and Instagram. Lines to take photos with Gatsby formed throughout the day. (via UPI)
Dog Photo of the Week
Photo by Grey Malin, “The Dogs at The Parker”.
Dog Video of the Week
By The Cincinnati Zoo, “Cheetah Cub Rozi Meeting Her New Puppy Companion”.