Today, we dive into the science around man’s best friend to celebrate the Puppy Bowl airing on Animal Planet, February 9th. Sam explores what’s really going on with the recent phenomenon of people teaching their dogs to communicate through word buttons. Dr. Janet Hoy-Gerlach joins the show to discuss her research into the mental health benefits of emotional support animals. Finally, we tackle the power and possibility of a dog’s sense of smell.  

Canine Chat 

• “Soundboard-trained dogs produce non-accidental, non-random and non-imitative two-button combinations.” by Amelia P. M. Bastos, Zachary N. Houghton, et al. 2024.  
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Emotional Support Animals  

• “Exploring Benefits of Emotional Support Animals (ESAs): A Longitudinal Pilot Study with Adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI).” by Janet Hoy-Gerlach, Aviva Vincent, Barry Scheuermann, Mamta Ojha. 2022. 
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Sniffer Dogs  

• “Massachusetts schools use dogs to sniff out Covid-19.” by Gary Tuchman. 2024. 
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