Lyin’ Eyes.
1. Every pet owner knows the feeling. Shoes are shredded, food stolen or furniture wrecked—and the perpetrator’s identity is never in doubt. But the moment the furious owner sees the canine culprit, all rage evaporates. Who could admonish a dog bearing that wide-eyed expression of pure repentance? But according to a paper published online in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, dogs’ shamefaced expressions are probably just a ruse they have evolved to manipulate humans. Research earlier this year showed that since domestication dogs have evolved a muscle which raises their inner eyebrows, enlarging their eyes and mimicking sadness. (via The Economist)

2. Like many marathoners, John McLean trains with running buddies. But if he isn’t keeping pace, he gets barked out. Mr. McLean is a dog-lover who logs miles with four-legged friends, both his own and rescues. “I did some online research and training a dog to run is really like training yourself to run,” he says. “You have to focus on hydration, increase mileage slowly, especially for juveniles.” He began volunteering at a local shelter, walking and running with rescue dogs a few days a week. Monday, Thursday and Saturday, Mr. McLean is at Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson by 6 a.m. to walk and run with several of the hundreds of dogs there. (via Wall Street Journal)
3. On a sunny mid-October afternoon, Leia spent her third birthday munching a gourmet three-course meal of chicken, beef with salmon and a yogurt-based cake atop a rooftop restaurant in Beijing. Leia is a German miniature pinscher and one of millions of pets in China whose every whim are indulged by their owners. Urban pet owners are on track to spend 202 billion yuan ($28.6 billion) on their pets this year, 19% more than 2018. China’s falling birthrate is matched by its mounting pet love. The Asian nation now has the world’s largest dog and cat population of 188 million and surpassed the U.S. in pet numbers in 2018, according to data by Euromonitor International. (via Bloomberg)
4. Blowouts and bowties, Xanax and Zoloft. New York’s co-op buyers and their dogs are jumping through all sorts of hoops to get precious approval. While New York City co-op boards have been loosening up some of their restrictions to get deals done in a slow New York market, some boards are still eager to meet prospective buyers’ pets. Boards have reason to be selective as incidents like dog bites can open them up to legal liability. In some cases, boards are demanding headshots, résumés and even recommendation letters specifically for pets to protect themselves. (via Wall Street Journal)
5. Say “sit!” to your dog, and—if he’s a good boy—he’ll likely plant his rump on the floor. But would he respond correctly if the word were spoken by a stranger, or someone with a thick accent? A new study shows he will, suggesting dogs perceive spoken words in a sophisticated way long thought unique to humans. In the new study, words were spoken by several strangers, men and women of different ages and with different accents. The dogs pitched their ears forward, or moved toward the speaker, whenever they heard a new word that had a slightly different vowel sound. That indicates, the researchers say, that they detected the difference. (via Science Magazine)
6. When Bryan Lindsay’s miniature dachshund ruptured a vertebral disc that paralyzed her hind end last April, he faced a choice: pay $7,500 for an operation to remove pressure from her spinal cord, with no guarantee that she would ever walk again, or try twice-weekly rehab for $80 a session. He and his wife opted for the rehab, which included laser treatments to stimulate healing, workouts on an underwater treadmill and acupuncture. Rehab is now routinely recommended for dogs after debilitating surgery and injuries, and also is increasingly being used as an alternative to surgery and as a method to stimulate elderly dogs’ brains and give them a sense of renewed purpose. (via USA Today)
7. Has your furry friend been diagnosed with cancer? Are you looking for resources that might be able to help? Mark Mamula, PhD, professor of medicine (rheumatology) might have an answer. Mamula is running a clinical trial through Yale School of Medicine’s (YSM) Section of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology to treat canines afflicted with cancer through a therapeutic vaccine. “The focus of this trial is to activate the dog’s own white blood cells to make antibodies against the tumor. Our early work suggests that these dogs survive longer than those who used conventional chemotherapy.” (via Yale School of Medicine)
8. From domestic cats and dogs’ ecocide of small animals to the greenhouse gases they emit, owning a pet is an environmental vice we must confront, writes Graham Lawton. Dogs also stress wildlife. One study found that areas of woodland frequented by dog walkers experience a 35 to 40 per cent reduction in bird diversity and abundance. Pet ownership also imposes wider environmental costs. Added together, all the cats and dogs in the US consume the same amount of energy as 60 million people, effectively increasing the population by a fifth. (via New Scientist)
9. On Thursday, MetLife Inc. purchased pet insurance company PetFirst Healthcare LLC, expanding into a growing industry as it aims to widen offerings and boost sales. The purchase of Indiana-based PetFirst is the latest sign of life insurers’ efforts to rev up revenue amid sluggish sales of individual life-insurance policies. Pet insurance—which bears some similarities to health coverage for people—has been one of the fastest-growing insurance products in recent years. Pet insurance premium volume more than doubled in the U.S. to $1.28 billion in 2018 from $588 million in 2014. (via Wall Street Journal)
Dog Photo of the Week

By Steve McCurry, “Steve McCurry. Animals” @stevemccurryofficial
Dog Video of the Week