This week my family is welcoming a new dog into the house! She’s an eight month old yellow lab named Macy, and even though I haven’t met her I’m in love with her. You always here the words “Dogs are a man’s best friend”  and they really are. Dogs are the only things in this world that love you more than they love themselves, but how did this relationship develop?

It is believed that humans and wolves made a close relationship after recognizing each other while hunting on the trail of big game. Researchers believe that humans followed wolves, and wolves began to wait for scraps fro humans who were better hunters, and likely the two learned from each other in hunting techniques. As humans and wolves spent more and more time together wolves began to evolve because the population of dog-wolves became isolated from wolves, and began to evolve into present day dogs. The Washington Post published an article that claims this domestication of dogs began up to 40,000 years ago!

Now if you talk to any dog person, myself included, they’ll say that they have a true connection with their dog and that they are more a part of the family than a pet. According to scientific tests, when dogs and humans look into each others eyes they both have a surge of oxytocin- the hormone associated with love and trust. Moreover, a study using MRIs showed that when dogs smelled scents from familiar humans the parts of their brains associated with happiness and love were more active than when they smelled familiar dogs!

The study also found that dogs not only pick up on our subtle mood changes, they are wired to do so! Hearing happy sounds lights up part of the auditory cortex in both dogs and humans, this commonality speaks to an underlying bond and a uniquely strong communicational system. Personally, all my dogs have always tried to comfort me or my other family members when they are upset, and have always been there.

Dogs are man (and woman)’s best friend, they can sense our emotions, and form unique bonds with unique communicational skills. Which makes the amount of dogs abandoned on the street that much more shocking. I urge anybody considering getting a dog to consider the true time commitment, and if you can’t commit for their life then don’t get one. On that note, until next time!

Sources:

NPR 

Salon

Science.Mic

Did you know that otters fur is water resistant, so its kept warm and dry? Otters have always been one of my favorites, they’re too adorable not to be! They float in forests of kelp or seaweed in order to not float away as they nap or eat shellfish on their backs. Sea otters are the only breed of otters to give birth in the water, mothers cuddle their young on their stomachs, quickly teaching them to hunt and swim on their own. They are found on the pacific coast of North America and Asia, in their wild they can live for up to twenty three years!

Sea otters wash themselves after their meals, cleaning their coat with their teeth and paws in order to maintain its waterproof qualities. Sea otters were hunted to near extinction for their luxurious fur in the 1700’s and 1800’s, even today they remain endangered. Today otters fall under the protected species, but major threats still exist: Human conflict, oil spills, and habitat degradation.

Direct conflict with humans, such as shootings and entrapment in fishing gear is a major threat to the population. Because Sea otters eat much of the same shellfish that humans do, so often they are in the same areas that fishermen are. Many fishermen like to use gear that will tangle the otters  in order to get rid of the ‘competition’. Fortunately, regulations on fishing gear are becoming more and more strict, and less otters are dying due to human conflict.

Oil spills from offshore drilling and shipping are an incredible threat to the otter population (and various other species). If the oil gets into the otters fur, it becomes matted which prevents it from insulating. If the otters have no insulation they die of hypothermia. The toxicity of the oil can also be harmful and cause liver and kidney failure, as well as harm the eyes and lungs.

Habitat degradation is another major threat to sea otters, land pollution runs off into the oceans and contaminates the habitat for all the animals. Pollution jeopardizes food sources and harms animals in direct ways. In California, pollution causes up to forty percent of otter deaths.