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Tidbits

Ted Kennedy’s Other Legacy
by Walker Parks | on August 28th, 2009 | in Tidbits

Among the gifts left behind by the late senator is Bo Obama, the Whitehouse dog. Here he is in the Oval Office.

(Sen. Ted Kennedy and his wife Vicki greet Bo in the Outer Oval Office of the White House April 21, 2009. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.)

(Sen. Ted Kennedy and his wife Vicki greet Bo in the Outer Oval Office of the White House April 21, 2009. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.)


Why Positive Reinforcement Works
by Chance Googling | on August 24th, 2009 | in Media, Tidbits

A new study out from MIT suggests that brain cells can only learn from success and not failure. This might help to explain why dogs are capable of learning complex problem-solving from positive reinforcement drills, but not through avoidance.


The Wolfman’s Brother
by Grayson Schaffer | on August 17th, 2009 | in Tidbits
Official attire for wolf walking: Vest, no shirt. Matching tats.

Official attire for wolf walking: Vest, no shirt. Matching tats.

Ran into this gentleman while getting dog food the other day. His name is Leyton Cougar, and he frequents the same tailor as Crocodile Dundee, Snake Pliskin, and, no doubt, other men who share a “special bond with animals.”

Some things I noticed from this encounter: 1) You still ask, “Is that a wolf?” even though your primal instincts are saying, Dude, that’s a wolf. 2) Yes, they really do grin. 3) They stare right through you with those yellow eyes.

His wolf sanctuary is west of Grants, New Mexico.


We’ve Gone Mobile!
by Grayson Schaffer | on July 10th, 2009 | in Tidbits

Two cool updates to share. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been shooting our post pictures with an iPhone. Now the obvious next step: mobile uploads. In the coming weeks Danger will cutting his teeth with the talented and capable search dogs of Los Alamos, New Mexico’s Mountain Canine Corps. Follow along with us.


Diabetic Alert Dog Conference at Wildrose
by Chance Googling | on July 1st, 2009 | in Tidbits

Type 1 diabetics live with the knowledge that some night in the future they could drop into a diabetic coma, no one would know, and they could die alone in their sleep. Can a dog prevent this from happening? Can a dog warn a diabetic when his or her blood sugar is dropping into the danger zone or going too high? The simple answer is yes.

More on Wildrose’s diabetic alert dog conference here and here.