Tag: dogs

Commentary: On Veterans Day, Let’s Recommit to Healing Invisible Wounds of War with the Help of a Wagging Tail

RealClearWire

As Americans observe Veterans Day this year, it’s important to be mindful of the challenges facing former military members. The wounds of war—both seen and unseen—should be top of mind. Beyond simply recognizing the struggles, we should also recommit ourselves to doing something about it. And for returning military heroes facing the invisible scars of battle—notably Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury—a valuable medicine is often four legs and a wagging tail. 

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Commentary: Four Moral Panics Not Backed by Science

RealClearWire

We humans are social animals, with society serving as the glue that binds us together. Through our ideals, ethics, and actions, we all have a hand in forming the collective views of society. “Work hard”, “take care of your family”, “don’t commit crime”, are a few basic tenets. But sometimes, often when faced with something novel, society can panic. Rather than try to understand this new trend or thing, frenzied members might view it as a threat and seek to banish it. Sociologists call these moments “moral panics”. More often than not, they’re irrational, with little to no support from scientific evidence. Here are four moral panics not backed by science:

1. Dungeons & Dragons. In the 1980s, spurred by a few attention-grabbing incidents, the media, politicians, and many prominent members of society glommed on to the idea that the tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) was driving players to psychosis, suicide, and even murder. The fantasy game has players cooperatively imagine themselves as a party of heroes (or villains) in a magical world filled with demons, beasts, and spells.

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Commentary: The Intelligence of Canines

RealClearWire
Dog lying on magazine with glasses on

Albert Einstein. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Marie Curie. Gaia. The first person came up with the general theory of relativity. The second is regarded as perhaps the greatest classical composer of all time. The third is the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. The fourth isn’t a person at all; it’s a dog.

All might be considered geniuses.

Some individuals are supremely gifted, with abilities that the vast majority of people cannot hope to replicate even after years of dedicated practice – the adolescents who are chess grandmasters, the musicians with perfect pitch, the professional athletes who make their colleagues look like amateurs. Scientists have been studying these people for decades, hoping to uncover genetic, environmental, or social underpinnings for their talents. Researchers have yet to find satisfactory answers.

Which brings us to dogs.

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Pet Owners Loath to Leave Their Pals During Evacuations

Admin
baby hugs young dog

Nila Belfiore-Dulay and her husband, Henryk, took seven days to drive cross-country to their new life in Charleston, South Carolina, last week, because they didn’t want to risk flying their dogs, Josie and Annie. Soon after they arrived, they were told to turn back. Charleston, in the line of Hurricane Florence, was in a mandatory evacuation zone. “We were there about five days before they told us we would have to evacuate,” Belfiore-Dulay said, sounding politely upbeat but a bit uncertain from a La Quinta motel in Jacksonville, Florida. Who goes to Florida to escape a hurricane? (Florida is the most “hurricane-prone” state in the U.S., according to several weather-forecasting sites and the U.S. government.) Some pet owners from South Carolina and Georgia wound up there because they couldn’t find rooms any closer as they evacuated the area Hurricane Florence was expected to pummel. “The hotel is packed with dog owners. The dogs are having a blast,” Belfiore-Dulay said. “They were unsettled at the beginning. But now that they are settled, they are having a blast.” Proprietor’s call While rumors have been spread on the internet thathotels and motels have to accept guests with pets during emergencies, it is up to…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd’s Foundation Hands Out $1 Million For 37 Tennessee Community Pooch Parks in Days Preceding Election

Jason M. Reynolds
Randy Boyd

Isn’t free money to support man’s best friend a good thing? What if the money is coming from a gubernatorial candidate just before the election? Republican candidate Randy Boyd’s foundation is handing out cash. The Randy Boyd Foundation presented the city of Jackson with the grand prize check of $100,000 for the Tennessee Dog Park Dash, WBBJ reported Friday. The grant requires the park to be built by 2020. “I anticipate it being done much earlier,” said Mandy White with the Jackson Chamber. A total of 37 communities across the state will receive $1 million to build or enhance off-leash dog parks, the Crossville Chronicle reported. Jackson received the largest prize — the other locales were paid $25,000 each. The winning communities for the 2018 Tennessee Dog Park Dash grant are: • West Tennessee: Bolivar, Brownsville, Camden, Decatur County, Dyersburg, Henderson, Humboldt, Lakeland, McKenzie, Memphis, Milan and Pickwick. • Middle Tennessee: Gallatin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg, Manchester, McMinnville, Mount Pleasant, Murfreesboro, Spring Hill and White House. • East Tennessee: Athens, Bristol, Chattanooga, Cleveland, Crossville, Erwin, Greeneville, Jonesborough, Kingsport, Kingston, Morristown, Rogersville, Spring City, Union County, and Jefferson County. ●Grand Prize winner: Jackson. Randy and Jenny Boyd, of course, “will visit and meet with…

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