This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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Compared to many other species, dogs as a whole are relatively privileged. Most of us don’t eat them, nor do we specifically breed them to be eaten. They are more likely to receive vet care than other companion animals, and we spend more money on dogs than, say, cats (although whether the things we’re buying dogs are necessary or in their best interest is another conversation). And we're often trying to get at who dogs are—most recently, dogs' “personhood” was proposed by Gregory Burns (here), and was subsequently explored by Hal Herzog (here), Jason Goldman (here) and Patricia McConnell (here).
But the main reason I suggest that dogs are “privileged” is because they are being examined at all, in their own right, and not as a stand-in for something or someone else.
We often need to “see it to believe it,” and that’s the direction dogs are headed. Researchers around the world are chipping away at every angle of what dogs "see, smell and know," to borrow from a recent publication. The "assumed dog" is fading away.
My colleagues in the “Examined Dog” field include men, women and dogs (we couldn’t do squat without the dogs!). On Ada Lovelace Day—a day to recognize and champion women in science—I would like to highlight a few (of the many!) women investigating dogs in varied and meaningful ways.
Thank you for your hard work and inspirational contributions!
Dr. Pauleen Bennett, Australia
anthrozoology
Dr. Nancy Dreschel, USA
physiology and dog welfare
Dr. Dorit Feddersen-Petersen, Germany
dog social behavior
Dr. Márta Gácsi, Hungary
dog social cognition
dog umwelt and testing anthropomorphisms
Dr. Sarah Marshall-Pescini, Italy
dog social cognition
interspecific acoustic communication and applied ethology
Dr. Katherine Miller, USA
shelter welfare and dog rehabilitation
Dr. Cindy Otto, USA
working dog welfare
Dr. Daniela Ramos, Brazil
dog word learning and clinical ethology
social signalling and dog quality of life
Dr. Monique Udell, USA
interspecific social behavior
Dr. Zsófia Virányi, Austria and Hungary
interspecific social behavior and inferential abilities
And many more!
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Photo: Flickr 'girl on a wall' by Zoetnet via Creative commons.