The case against pet ownership
Netflix Adds New Documentary That Reveals These Incredible Dog Secrets
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Credit: Netflix
Netflix has added an engrossing new documentary that reveals heaps of amazing secrets about dogs.
Narrated by Hollywood star Rob Lowe, Inside the Mind of a Dog is packed with incredible facts that will help you understand your pooch better.
Here are 7 astonishing secrets from Inside the Mind of a Dog and check out our best Netflix documentaries piece for more docs to enjoy...
1. Dogs are exceptional at understanding helpful hand suggestionsYes, dogs are brilliant at understanding pointing. "Dogs in general are really good at following a human point," explains Dr. Emily Bray, Assistant Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine. They're even better at it than our closest living relatives the apes.
2. Dogs have unique noseprints and their nose is their superpowerA dog with their noseprint
Dr. Erin Hect, part of Harvard University's Canine Brains Project, says: "Dogs have noseprints in the same way we have fingerprints. If you were to put a little bit of ink on a dog's nose and press it onto a piece of paper it would make a unique imprint."
Dogs can make a spatial map of a room using just their nose. A dog's nose can detect millions of different smells and could even work out if their owner was somewhere the day before! A dog can use its nose to detect our mood and can even detect diseases.
3. Every dog has 99.9% of the same DNA as wolvesThe scientific name for dogs is Canis Familiaris and the scientific name of a wolf is Canis Lupus. "Every dog and every dog breed is just another version of a wolf that through selection and evolution has expressed itself," says Dr Brian Hare, Founder of Duke University Canine Cognition Center. He explains that early man wiped out a lot of predators but wolves survived. Wolves then started following us around eating all the yummy stuff we disposed of. "A new type of friendliness evolved," says Brian, and that friendly relationship between humans and dogs helped them survive.
4. Dogs have developed puppy eyes to interact with usDr Brian Hare explains: "They have a muscle that allows them to pull back their eye and show the white part of their eye called the sclera. We know that when humans interact seeing white sclera is the way that our brain automatically recognises you're interacting with another human being. It's one of the key ways newborn infants recognize their mother. Puppy dog eyes really hijack one of the main ways we interact with each other and dogs have taken advantage of it". Dogs also have much better night vision than us but they don't see as many colors as we do.
5. Dogs have 16 different facial expressionsInside the Mind of a Dog pooches on a bench
Dr Will Draper, founder of The Village Vets, says dogs have 16 different facial expressions whereas humans have about 27 different facial expressions. He adds that dogs have learned a lot from us expression-wise.
6. Dogs have the highest sustained metabolic rate of any animal making them brilliant at enduranceAt rest, a dog's metabolism is about the same as a human's. But when they need it dogs can shift gears having the highest sustained metabolic rate of any animal. It means they use the same amount of calories three times more efficiently than a Tour de France rider and makes them brilliant at endurance.
7. Telling tailsThe documentary reveals a loose tail indicates less stress and a happy dog, whereas a tight tail and wagging low, according to Matt Beingsner, founder of Zen Dog, indicates some stress. The helicopter tail wag accompanied by a big bum wiggle is a really positive sign and can happen when the dog sees someone they know.
Watch Inside the Mind of a Dog on Netflix now.
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A 'robot Dog' Armed With An AI-enabled Rifle For Shooting Down Drones Was Tested At A US Army Exercise
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By clicking "Sign Up", you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email.A "robot dog" carrying an artificial intelligence-enabled rifle made an appearance at a recent US Army counter-drone exercise.
Exploring the possibilities of a four-legged, remote-controlled system is just one example of the Pentagon's efforts to rapidly and at scale employ drones and counter-drone technologies.
Earlier this month, the Army and industry partners tested a quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicle, armed with an AR-15-type rifle, as part of Fort Drum's "Operation Hard Kill." The event is led by the Army's 10th Mountain Division and Development Command-Armaments Center, with the goal being to provide the Army and its partners an opportunity to test counter-drone systems they're working on.
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in.A video shared from one portion of the exercise shows the so-called robot dog in action. In the footage, the robot runs around and maneuvers its rifle as the Army and industry partners remotely control the system and discuss its targeting data.
Per the video, Ghost Robotics' Vision 60 Q-UGV features a small turret, which holds the rifle, a targeting system, and a GoPro-like camera mounted on the front of its body. According to the Army, the rifle was AI-enabled, potentially for automated targeting.
It appears to look similar to other robotic dogs developed by the Army and other branches of the US military. Previous testing of such systems includes a recent activity in which an Army light infantry company, accompanied by robotic dogs and UAVs to scout and sense surroundings, explored a simulated urban environment.
Per the goals of Operation Hard Kill, the robotic dog was tested in a counter-drone role, mainly meant to identify and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles.
While further details aren't clear, Operation Hard Kill's exercises appear to have been focused on two core issues facing the Pentagon: the need, they say, to rapidly develop drone technologies at great scale and the capability to effectively defeat drones on the battlefield.
The Defense Department's major Replicator Initiative, revealed last fall, is focused on fielding thousands of autonomous systems across various warfighting domains. The Pentagon has said that the war in Ukraine, which has been dominated by drone warfare of all kinds, has added urgency.
There are also whole programs dedicated to countering the drone threat, but drones killing drones is a less common area of development.
The US is far from the only military actively working on and, in some cases, already deploying robotic dogs in service. In 2022, Russia displayed its four-legged UGV equipped with an anti-tank rocket launcher. The system also oddly acted as if it were a real dog, spinning around on the floor.
China, too, has been at work on robot dogs. Earlier this year, US lawmakers raised concerns with the Pentagon on "the threat of rifle-toting robot dogs used by China" after video footage released by state-run Chinese media showed one such UGV running around and shooting an automatic rifle.
The UGV was shown off during recent Chinese military drills in Cambodia. Militaries, however, have also looked into using these technologies for purposes outside of direct combat.
Former Cortez Resident Loses Service Dog After Water Main Break
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 4:17 PM Updated Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 12:12 PM
Rose Romero, former low-vision coordinator at Southwest Center for Independence in Cortez, poses with her service dog Ivy, who recently died after being trapped in Romero's collapsed garage after a water main break. Courtesy photo
Rose Romero's dog Ivy died after being trapped in the garage of her Albuquerque home
Tragedy struck for a former Cortez resident and low-vision coordinator last week after a water main broke, collapsing the garage of her Albuquerque home and trapping her service dog.
Rose Romero's dog, Ivy, was found dead Aug. 9, after the July 28 collapse prevented her from escaping or from being found earlier. Now, Romero and community members are petitioning for the city of Albuquerque to change their policies in the face of similar emergencies.
"The city thinks of dogs, service dogs, or any pet as property, not as someone that's so important to us," Romero told a Journal reporter.
The water main break happened in the street outside Romero's home, sending water and mud high into the air. According to the petition, created by Maisie Reynolds, the break was preventable, had the known issue been addressed.
Community members requested that the city send a search and rescue team that would be able to locate Ivy, who was nearly 14 years old. Instead, they were met with "unexplained resistance," according to the petition.
According to an article by the Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Jason Fejer said that a team went to Romero's residence and deemed the garage unstable. On Wednesday, holes were cut in the garage, but contractors couldn't access the area. Friday's discovery was thanks to the holes, according to Romero. Unfortunately, it was too late.
Ivy was Romero's seeing-eye dog, as she has been visually impaired since 2009 and is now legally blind. A detached retina led to the removal of Romero's left eye in 2009, leaving her with a well-crafted prosthetic. Then, she got glaucoma in her right eye in 2010. Now, she only sees shadows, and uses various tools such as special lights, magnifiers, and color contrast technology to help her in her day to day life. Ivy played a large role in that.
The petition to change the city of Albuquerque's policies about pets has 1,587 signatures as of 3:15 p.M. Monday. The next goal to reach is 2,500 signatures. To sign the petition, visit bit.Ly/IvyPetition.
"What I need is their signature on that petition. That's what's important, to change the system," Romero said.
Romero lived in Cortez from 1996 to 2017. During that time, she served as the low-vision coordinator for the Southwest Center for Independence. Before that, though, she worked in the school system as a paraprofessional. She applied because she met a woman with a disabled granddaughter, and no one was equipped to help her, so Romero stepped up to the plate.
During her time as a low-vision coordinator, Romero encouraged those with visual impairments to keep going and living their lives. She was available to support them at any time of day or night. During home visits, Ivy accompanied her, and the pair became well-known in the community.
"I believe take the high road, not the low road, OK, and keep going," Romero said. "I was trying to be a role model, an example to people that if they're disabled, OK, but doesn't mean you're dead. You can go on and do other things."
Romero has faced plenty of tragedy in her life previous to losing her dog. Her young daughter, Tiffany, was born prematurely and faced 20 surgeries. She unfortunately passed during her 21st surgery. A year and a half later, her husband died of esophageal cancer.
In the face of it all, Romero keeps going.
"I try to use all that negative to do something better or different to help somebody else," Romero said.
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