Sat., Nov. 23, 2002

I Can Read Your Mind:

"The authors suggest that dogs may be able to think about the thoughts of others, which thus far only humans and possibly some non-human primates are known to do," says the journal Science.

The researchers also tried the experiment on puppies, some of which were reared in kennels and had had little contact with humans. All the puppies did well at finding the baited containers, indicating they are born with the ability to understand human thought."

Read the full article here.

Fri., Nov. 15, 2002

Nosy mutts:

Finally! Someone has taken the time to make a gallery chock full of cute dog noses.

Awwwwww.

Sun., Nov. 10, 2002

Cats are evil:

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The key difference between cats and dogs is simple. Dogs could kill you, but they don't. Cats WISH they could kill you but they can't.

Go see for yourself at Mean Kitty.

Fri., Nov. 1, 2002

Why some dog eyes are blue in photos:

Ever wonder why some animal eyes change colors in flash photos? The Scientific American explains that "dogs, cats and almost all domestic animals have a special reflective layer in the back of the eye termed the tapetum, which enhances nocturnal vision. Young puppies often show 'blue eye' until the structures at the back of the eye fully develop.

This double stimulation of the retina helps these species to see better than humans do in dim light situations. The color of this tapetal layer varies to some extent with an animal's coat color. A black Labrador retriever, for example, will usually have a green tapetal reflection. A buff Cocker spaniel will generally show a yellow tapetal reflection. Most young puppies and kittens have a blue tapetal reflection until the structures in the back of the eye fully mature at six to eight months of age.

'Color dilute' dogs and cats, such as red Siberian huskies and blue point Siamese cats, may have no tapetal pigment, and may therefore exhibit a red reflex just like human beings."