Gone Dogs

03/07/2025

Some people insist that you shouldn’t let dogs or pets share your bed. There’s nothing wrong with it, argues one besotted owner.

03/06/2025

oh man ... lucky

In 2022, lifelong dog lover John Fabiano, originally from Buffalo, New York, quit his corporate job to travel the world documenting the different relationships between dogs and humans.

03/05/2025

Not long ago, dogs were valued primarily for the jobs they performed, such as hunting, herding livestock, and guarding property, all of which required boundless energy and a wariness of strangers. But “as more city dwellers adopt pets, and cultural shifts have led dogs and people to spend more time inside, some behaviors that made dogs appealing to our ancestors have become maladaptive,” Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods wrote in 2024. A dog wary of strangers is tough to take for a walk, for instance, and gets consigned to a fenced-in yard where it can’t spend its energy. https://theatln.tc/YWRfWeSv

“Dogs have gone from working all day and sleeping outside to relaxing on the couch and sleeping in our beds,” the authors write. “Thousands of years of domestication couldn’t prepare dogs for this abrupt transition.”

Dog owners have attempted to correct for this by picking a hypoallergenic breed, a smart breed, a breed that is supposedly good with children—but the main thing a breed usually tells you is what your dog will look like.

“Service dogs are the exception and the answer to the domestication puzzle,” Hare and Woods write. “For more than a century, service dogs have had to sit quietly in a café, calmly negotiate the stress and noise of urban life, and interact gently with children. They can do this not because they are smarter than pet dogs, but because ... service dogs are uniquely friendly. Unlike most pet dogs, service dogs are attracted to strangers, even as puppies. And increasing friendliness seems to have changed these dogs’ biology, just as it did thousands of years ago.”

“We believe these changes are the early signs of a third wave in dog domestication,” the authors continue. “If dog lovers shift their demand from a dog’s hair color and tail length to their comfort with strangers and new places, this friendliness could quickly ripple through the population and become amplified with each successive generation … A breeding program that prioritizes a friendly temperament could show results within just a few decades.”

In the meantime, as the third wave of domestication gets under way, humans must continue caring for the pets they have now.

🎨: Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty

03/05/2025

😉

Pet dogs blink more in response to videos of other dogs blinking—new evidence of their complex communication

03/04/2025

For months, Scrim ran wild around the city, eluding capture and developing a giant fan base. His saga has inspired tattoos, murals and Mardi Gras floats.

03/03/2025

Be careful out there.

Markers of bladder cancer found in canines with higher levels of exposure to chemicals such as flame retardants

03/02/2025

A dog’s life — even if that means joyfully and endlessly chasing squirrels — is more meaningful than a dog owner’s life, asserts philosophy professor Mark Rowlands.

03/01/2025

❤️

What makes the bond between people and dogs so special? Elias Weiss Friedman, creator of The Dogist, has captured millions of hearts by documenting this unique connection through his journalistic style of dog portraits, which reveal each precious pup's unique personality. In this photographic tour o...

02/28/2025

Whoa!

Move over, bloodhounds.

02/27/2025

Sven the rescue dog had an unusual reaction to his new owner saying a certain word.

02/26/2025

-“What’s the hardest part about having a dog?” they asked, their tone casual, like it was just another question.

I glanced at the worn leash hanging by the door, my chest tightening. “Letting them go,” I said quietly.

They frowned a little, waiting for me to explain. “They come into your life like they were always meant to be there,” I said, trying to find the words. “They make everything better—simpler, brighter. And you think it’s always going to be that way. But it’s not. One day, they’re gone, and you’re left with all the space they used to fill.”

They nodded, but I wasn’t sure they understood. “It’s not the messes they made or the routines you have to let go of,” I continued. “It’s the absence. You walk into the house, and it feels... wrong. The quiet is heavier. The mornings don’t feel the same without them nudging you awake.”

“So why do it?” they asked, their voice softer this time.

I sighed, glancing down at my hands. “Because the love they give you is worth every bit of the heartache. They teach you how to love without holding back, even when you know it’s going to hurt in the end. And you keep choosing that love because you know it’s one of the best things you’ll ever feel.”

R.M. Drake 🐶 from the book ' Dog People'

Artist Credit : Iain Welch

02/26/2025

Did your state make the list?

Almost half of all Americans are dog owners, but some states make life with pets easier than others

02/25/2025

Vanish has won the 12th Annual Masters Agility Championship Finals at the 2025 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show!

02/24/2025

Under overcast skies, downtown Golden was shining gold Saturday afternoon.

02/23/2025

Pretty interesting!

Here’s what scientists have learned about how a dog’s breed affects its health and behavior.

02/22/2025

How many do you know?

Who let the dogs out??? WHO! WHO! WHO! (No seriously, who?)

02/21/2025

Do you pet your dog before you leave the house?

All it takes is a little TLC.

02/20/2025

In case you've ever wondered. (I have)

Show dogs have names that could make a random password generator cry uncle. Meet, for example, GCHG CH Calicops Sassafras Gonnakikurass.