Mar
Can Dogs Detect an Impending Human Suicide?
I still live in complete wonderment about the capabilities and ‘magic’ of our friend, the dog. I recently gave a speech to a conference where I over-ran my time allocation by 20 minutes because I simply can not speak about dogs without getting excited, amazed and awe-struck – not about all the things we already know they CAN do, but about all the things we are yet to DISCOVER they are able to do. So I wonder, can dogs detect (and even prevent) an impending human suicide?
This article is an ‘editor’s pick’ feature and is exclusive to members of the K9 Magazine Premier Club.
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I am constantly amazed and impressed by the dog.
He is capable of incredible acts, many of which we still don’t understand.
So it was a delight to come across an item today – which I am thrilled to bring to your attention – which delves deeper in to the dog, the amazing dog.
From the New York Times:
The matter of what exactly goes on in the mind of a dog is a tricky one, and until recently much of the research on canine intelligence has been met with large doses of skepticism. But over the last several years a growing body of evidence, culled from small scientific studies of dogs’ abilities to do things like detect cancer or seizures, solve complex problems (complex for a dog, anyway), and learn language suggests that they may know more than we thought they did.
Their apparent ability to tune in to the needs of psychiatric patients, turning on lights for trauma victims afraid of the dark, reminding their owners to take medication and interrupting behaviors like suicide attempts and self-mutilation, for example, has lately attracted the attention of researchers.
In September, the Army announced that it would spend $300,000 to study the impact of pairing psychiatric service dogs like Jet with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder. Both the House and Senate have recently passed bills that would finance the training and placement of these dogs with veterans.
Hungarian researchers reported in a study last year that a guide dog for a blind and epileptic person became anxious before its master suffered a seizure and was taught to bark and lick the owner’s face and upper arm when it detected an onset, three to five minutes before the seizure.
It is still somewhat mysterious how exactly dogs detect seizures, whether it’s by picking up on behavioral changes or smelling something awry, but several small studies have shown that a powerful sense of smell can detect lung and other types of cancer, as the dogs sniff out odors emitted by the disease.
I would like to take this opportunity to pose some theoretical questions about where we might be headed with regard to things we still don’t know about the dog.
Is it outside the realms of possibility that dog owners will eventually be able to train their OWN dogs how to detect and signal for the presence of cancer or other disease?
I mean, we know dogs can detect cancer. We know they have that skill, the only missing link in the chain is having owners who are as skilled as the people who train cancer detection dogs. But let’s say that we eventually become competent at such techniques, then why not?
Is it impossible to consider that dogs may be able to recognise and signal impending natural disasters over and above those few dogs who are currently trained to do so today?
Imagine if a nation of dog owners were the barometer for impending hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis and beyond? Impossible? I don’t believe so. The wisdom of crowds would have even more of an impact of that crowd was made of thousands or millions of dogs who are all signalling the same thing.
Is it science fiction to assume that we may be able to have dogs that live double the length of time they are today?
Why not? Our medical knowledge is making us live much longer, veterinary advances are similarly rapid. In theory, this one should be a given. And I for one will be delighted. The ONLY downside to dogs…..they’re here and gone much, much too fast.
Will canine cloning become the norm?
It’s started already. Owners may become more enthralled with the (mistaken) idea that they can recreate their much loved pet. Of course, unless that pet is given an identical up bringing, exposure to situations and scenarios and basically allowed to re-trace the life steps of the dogs he/she is being cloned upon, this will never happen.
K9 Magazine members: access our ‘Dogs: The Future’ special digital report >>
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l am in the process of almost memorizing your book “Amazing Dog Facts and trivia.” Your presentation style captured my imagination. I’ve had golden retrievers over the years and am looking into serious training specifics.
My question. Do you prepare and distribute a hard copy of your K9 Magazine? I prefer this format over the Internet………..
Or, if this is not your method would you recommend a few magazines that would be serve my interest?
Thanks
Alfred