Dr. Alexandra Horowitz—the scientist, professor at Barnard College, and bestselling author of books about dogs, most recently, “Being A Dog: Following The Dog Into A World of Smell”—discusses Tucker, the dog trained 
to detect the scat of orcas who live in Puget Sound, as one measure of the scope of revelations offered about detection dogs (and otherwise) in the new book. Horowitz explains how dogs use smells to tell time, or, at least, determine when their owners will come home—as well as some of the components that account for a dog’s extraordinary sense of smell, including “stereo” olfaction, whereby each nostril takes in different aspects of an odor and processes them by re-assembling them in a way that provides dimension. She recounts some of the experiences she undertook to enhance her sniffing skills and/or to provide insights into how a dog smells, including enrolling in a semester-long perfumer’s 
course, taking sommelier training, and learning animal tracking. She observes how these and other adventures re-shaped her thinking about dogs both professionally and personally. Horowitz also notes how all the research (including her own; she started and runs the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College), anecdotal evidence and personal observations altered her life with her own dogs, Finnegan and Upton, perhaps most notably taking them on so-called “smell walks” now daily. (https://alexandrahorowitz.net, http://insideofadog.com)
ALSO: I spoke briefly with Alicia Lawler, senior volunteer coordinator at Suncoast Hospice in Pinellas Park, about their multifaceted pet therapy program, which provides visits with dogs, cats and other animals to hospice patients at home, Suncoast Care Centers and elsewhere—and which is seeking volunteers, both human and animal. (https://empathhealth.org)
COMEDY CORNER: Steven Wright’s “Dog Stay” (www.stevenwright.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On The Wire” R.I.P., Leonard
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
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