I'm so happy that all this research with dogs if finally starting to get the public recognition it deserves. The best part is that this only really scratches the surface of what we've learned so far, and that we're still learning more as well. Seriously, dogs are an amazingly unique species that have developed a lot of characteristics through their domestication that you don't necessarily observe in other domesticated animals (such as the cat). A large amount of theories postulating why this is and so many possible factors that play a role. You'd think we'd have more answers about a species that has been around us for so long, but it's actually the opposite!

Also, for you neuroscientist-loving folks, dogs are one of the many species where we've learned that demonstrate asymmetrical behavior. This is so cool. Really. For those who don't know what that is, it essentially means that dogs, like humans and some other species, can process information asymmetrically. For example, smells: new smells or negative affect smells are predominantly processed with one brain hemisphere, whereas positive affects (such as a good owner!) will be processed with the opposing hemisphere.

I'm done geeking out for now. If you guys want to know more, I'm happy to dive into my research from last year and find things!