1. They've served presidents and wounded warriors. Medals of achievement fill their military uniforms. They'll jump into action for a treat or a good scratch. Meet D.C.'s most distinguished dogs: the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center canines. The "facility dog program," now in its 17th year, employs some of Washington's most skilled and well-known working dogs, and it's been used as a model for therapeutic canine care at military institutions across the country. (via Axios)
2. On a recent winter morning in the Upper Green, just north of Pinedale, WY, Remy Coste stood behind his sleek dog sled in a tan snowsuit. His partner Aurelie Delattre stood by wearing a red flannel peppered with blonde dog hairs, likely from the team of 10 lean, hound-looking dogs hooked to Coste’s sled. Coste and Delattre are from France but now live in Sweden. They’re here to compete in the upcoming 29th Pedigree Stage Stop sled dog race. It’s one of the hardest races of this type in the world – between the length, elevation and weather conditions. It’s a stage format. So teams race a total of about 225 miles, but in seven legs – each day is in a different western Wyoming or eastern Idaho community. (via Aspen Public Radio)
3. On Wednesday, four marine inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston were randomly selecting from thousands of containers for inspection at the Bayport Terminal at the Port of Houston when they heard the unexpected sounds of barking and scratching coming from inside one of the stacked shipping containers. Hidden inside the walls of a container stacked 25 feet above the ground was a female dog the guardsmen said likely spent at least a week trapped inside. It's unclear how the lucky pooch—who has since been nicknamed Connie the Container Dog—got locked inside of the container in the first place. The Coast Guard crew gave Connie some water and turned her over to the Pasadena Animal Shelter for further care. (via Chron)
4. All dogs go to heaven. But a bulldog might find itself headed there years before a Border terrier, according to a new study of nearly 600,000 British dogs from more than 150 breeds. Large breeds and breeds with flattened faces had shorter average life spans than smaller dogs and those with elongated snouts, the researchers found. Female dogs also lived slightly longer than male ones. There are exceptions to those broad trends, and the findings might not apply to dogs outside Britain, where breeding practices — and gene pools — may be different, the researchers noted. (via The New York Times)
5. Have you ever wondered why dogs and cats can only see a limited color spectrum, while humans are able to envision a spectrum that is millions of colors-wide? Researchers from John Hopkins University set out to understand this phenomenon using lab-grown human retinas in their study published in PLoS Biology. During early embryogenesis, the NR2F2 gene instructs the human retina to produce cone cells that specialize in sensing red or green light. Only humans with normal vision and closely related primates possess the ability to develop the red sensor. Until recently, this process was thought to be random, though there has been some research to suggest it may also be partially driven by thyroid hormones. (via Technology Networks)
6. You wake up in the morning. Immediately, you face a complex set of rules and norms – some spoken, others unspoken. Don’t make a mess in the house. Don’t yell at strangers. Don’t run into the street. Let strangers sniff your butt. Only pee outside. Sorry, I forgot to say – you’re a dog. Social etiquette is complicated enough for humans. Even with the gift of language, all of us transgress these rules from time to time. And indeed, some social norms are woefully outdated. But at its best, etiquette helps us move through the world in a way that is more pleasant for ourselves and others, whether we’re human or canine. (via The Guardian)
7. Debbie Zaiger hates going to the dentist. She puts off her appointments as long as she can “My level of anxiety at the dentist is really high — so much so that I need laughing gas just to get my teeth cleaned,” she said. Then last month, she learned about Ollie. When Zaiger, 61, showed up for her hygiene appointment in downtown Minneapolis, she reclined in the dentist’s chair and Ollie, a fluffy, 80-pound English goldendoodle, hopped into her lap and sprawled across her legs. Zaiger said she was able to relax, this time without nitrous oxide. (via The Washington Post)
8. From 4-month-old puppies to senior canines, about 1,000 dogs assembled in a New York City convention hall last weekend to mingle, play, and get pets from the public. But behind the scenes, one aspect of the American Kennel Club’s 11th annual Meet the Breeds event was slightly different from the past 10 years: the poop. For the first time, a Manhattan neighborhood that regularly composts its dog waste collected the poop accumulated at the event and is sending it to be composted. That will stop it from polluting waterways and releasing greenhouse gases in landfills. (via Fast Company)
9. Dog owners know all too well the vastly different personality traits their furry companions can exhibit. Just like humans, some canines enjoy a good measure of independence, while others — known as “Velcro dogs” — simply cannot bear the thought of being left alone. These breeds, much like the famous fastening material “Velcro,” love to stick close to their human counterparts. Whether they are following you around the house, lying at your feet while you work, or cuddling next to you on the couch, these pooches need near-constant human contact. (via DogTime)
10. Reigning queen of New York Chloë Sevigny — that inimitable forever “It” girl with her face on a skateboard — has some opinions about the life choices of a specific cross section of New Yorkers. That is, those of you who own both dogs and Lululemons. In an interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday, Sevigny, who’s been promoting her upcoming role in Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, issued some harsh words for the Manhattanites who dare to brave the streets with their dachshunds and their doodles and their miniature Australian shepherds in tow. (via The Cut)
Bonus: Castlerock's Bobby Hotel in Nashville has had an on-property dog since it opened in 2018, when Sasha, a former "office dog" at Castlerock headquarters, was promoted to the role of dog-in-residence at the Bobby. Sasha has since retired, but her tenure inspired the launch of a more formalized canine program, developed in partnership with local animal rescue group the Nashville Humane Association and Pets for Patriots, a nonprofit specializing in helping U.S. military veterans adopt companion animals. Under the initiative, a shelter dog is hand-selected by the Nashville Humane Association and, following a stint at the hotel, is later adopted out as an emotional support animal for a veteran in need. (via Travel Weekly)
Dog Photo of the Week
Photo by Bruce Weber, “Goldens in Montauk” (via Cultured Magazine)
Dog Video of the Week
By Fox 5 News, “‘Meet the Breeds’ 2024”.