Dogs and humans have worked side by side for thousands of years, and
over the millennia we’ve come to depend upon our pooches as hunters,
protectors, and faithful companions. But when it comes to the
extraordinary quality of man’s best friend which we rely on most,
the winner is clear—by a nose. In Secrets of the Snout, Frank Rosell
blends storytelling and science as he sniffs out the myriad ways in
which dogs have been trained to employe their incredible olfactory
skills, from sussing out cancer and narcotics to locating endangered
and invasive species, as well as missing persons (and golf balls).
With 300 million receptors to our mere 5 million, a dog’s nose is
estimated to be between 100,000 and 100 million times more sensitive
than a human’s. No wonder, then, that our nasally inferior species
has sought to unleash the prodigious power of canine shnozzes. Rosell
here takes us for a walk with a pack of superhero sniffers including
Tutta, a dog with a fine nose for fine wine; the pet-finder pooch AJ;
search-and-rescue dog Barry; the hunting dog Balder; the police dogs
Rasko and Trixxi; the warfare dog Lisa; the cancer detection dog Jack;
Tucker, who scents floating killer whale feces; and even Elvis, who
can smell when you’re ovulating. With each dog, Rosell turns his
nose to the evolution of the unique olfactory systems involved, which
odors dogs detect, and how they do it. A celebration of how the canine
sense for scents works—and works for us—Secrets of the Snout will
have dog lovers, trainers, and researchers alike all howling with
delight. Exploring this most pointed of canine wonders, Rosell reveals
the often surprising ways in which dogs are bettering our world, one
nose at a time.
Les mer
The Dog’s Incredible Nose
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780226536538
Publisert
2023
Utgiver
Vendor
University of Chicago Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter