Search Results for: blog the science of dogs

And You Thought Hot Dogs Were Bad For Kids

Don’t you love it when other parents agree with you? I had to chuckle reading fellow blogger Matt Pinkston’s take on hot dogs. The dad of four kids is as repulsed by the popular kiddie menu option as I am. As he noted in a previous post: “After four years of undergraduate science, and understanding thoroughly what sodium nitrates and nitrates, corn syrup, food colorings, and parasites in hot dogs will do to people, I’m not a fan. The conflict intensifies when one child requests hamburger, which I then prepare, then insists on hot dogs, an item seldom in the … Continue reading →

Female Dogs Might Think Differently from Male Dogs

Maybe I’ll learn by osmosis A recent article on MSNBC posited that perhaps female dogs are more intelligent than male dogs. Or at least, that’s what the sensationalist headline might lead readers to think. What’s really going on is that a study from the University of Vienna may have found evidence that male and female dogs think in slightly different ways. The study, led by cognitive biologist Corsin Muller, tested domesticated dogs for their comprehension of “object permanence.” Object permanence is a physical law stating that when an object disappears from view, that doesn’t mean that it’s ceased to exist … Continue reading →

The Science of Dogs

Over the weekend I watched the National Geographic documentary “The Science of Dogs.” It explored canine genetics, studying what it is about a dog’s DNA that makes it the species with the greatest number of breeds. The documentary revealed that there is something uniquely malleable about canine DNA that allows it to make a staggering variety of small changes. The example given by the documentary explained that one can breed cows in such a way to get different color patterns or shapes of horns. But all cows will look fundamentally the same and share identical characteristics. As we well know, … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for April 14-20

If the spring in the air has kept you out instead of in more, but you still want to keep up on the happenings in the Pets Blog, fear not. This handy Week in Review will keep you in the loop about Aimee and I wrote about on: Monday, April 14 Aimee covered everything you’d ever want to know about guinea pig cages. Sometimes an inspirational animal story comes along that is just marvelously wonderful. The story of Oscar the naked cockatoo is just such a story. Tuesday, April 15 There is both an art and science to guinea pig … Continue reading →

Third Grade Science Curriculum Part 1

Here at the topics that should be covered in third grade science, according to the World Book encyclopedia website. The internet holds hundreds of free lesson plans and resources that you can use to teach your student these topics. Some of my favorite sites for teaching third grade science concepts are brainpop.com which is a subscription based website. Kids.gov is has many environmental science activities for your kids and Free.ed.gov has many lesson plans for teachers that homeschoolers can use. Below are the lesson suggestions along with my ideas for teaching them. Animal helpers: Teach children about seeing eye and … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for March 3-9

Aimee and I were busy beavers last week. In case you were too and missed any of our articles, here’s our Week in Review recap for your cheating (er, I mean catching up) pleasure… Monday, March 3 In Aimee’s first Diary of a Cat Care B&B entry for the week, she discussed her bulletin board she’s assumed responsibility for and asked for suggestions. Me and my crew presented “The Case of Who Cut the Cheese” after a stinky episode in our house Friday night. Aimee detailed the four most common worms in pets. Tuesday, March 4 Have you ever wondered … Continue reading →

Interview: Award Winning Science Fiction and Fantasy Author Jay Lake

One thing I love about being a writer is getting to know other writers. And I have met some wonderful people and made some wonderful friends in the last few years! My writer friend Jay Lake is an amazing person. He’s won the John W. Campbell Award for best new science fiction and/or fantasy writer. He’s got a list of publications that’s about a mile long. And he graciously agreed to an interview about his writing and the animals in his life. Aimee: What kind of things do you write about? Jay: I mostly write speculative fiction — fantasy, science … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for February 11-17

Are you wondering what Aimee and I wrote about last week because other matters kept you away from the Pets Blog? If so, you came to the right place. Here’s what we covered on: Monday, February 11 The problem with show dog science is that it’s created a lot of genetic defects which leads to both physical and mental disorders for purebred pets. What’s a girl and her two dogs to do when they finally get a nice day to go outside? Head to dog park of course. But Aimee and her crew came home with souvenirs: mud socks! Tuesday, … Continue reading →

The Problem with Show Dog Science

I’ve long known certain dogs were specifically bred with others to get desired traits, but I hadn’t realized how far back it had all started. Which is pretty remarkable considering science hasn’t always been as advanced as it is now. A few months back I caught part of an episode called “Science of a Dog” on the National Geographic Channel which addressed the topic in depth. It was about how certain breeds have come to be, why, and where they go from here. Because for some breeds their health-future isn’t too bright. That was a really sad part of the … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Jul 16-22

Did you notice a skip in coverage of the Pets Blog Week in Review? That’s because last week was my big vacation (I’ll be writing about that more this week) with Murphy and Wayne. Thus I wasn’t around to post last Monday for the week before. But vacation’s over so it’s back to the grindstone. Looks like Aimee covered a lot of interesting topics. (And I even snuck a few in myself.) Here’s what we covered on: Monday, July 16 We swam with kangaroos and author/publisher/pet rescuer Dindy Robinson in Part I of my interview with her. Aimee kicked off … Continue reading →