Two Dog Tales

Chatham's super sniffer, at rest.

Any dog owner who’s waited while their dog spends what seems like five full minutes sniffing a single light pole knows that there has to be very interesting stories behind every smell for our canine pals. But next time you get annoyed at the interruption to your power walk as Ginger strains to snuffle a teeny spot on the sidewalk–or even worse, roll in some roadkill carcass–you should be thankful for that instinctual attraction.

An article in this weekend’s Sunday newspaper Parade magazine talks about the success of dogs detecting cancer, by smell. “Sniffing out Disease” says that a study found that dogs correctly identified breast cancer 88% of the time and lung cancer 99%, by sniffing the person’s breath. It’s fascinating, and wonderful, but I don’t see modern medicine ever relying on a doggie diagnosis, sadly, the legal risks are huge.

BTW, I did check out Energy Gym’s doggie yappy hour last week, and it basically was a couple of tables set up in their back courtyard, with representatives from the new-to-Shirlington Dogma Dog Bakery, and a  Dog’s Day Out just north of Old Town Alexandria. I have to say my girls loved Dogma’s treats, and they looked good enough for me to eat, especially the carrot cake. Kudos to all for the effort, I’m all for anything that promotes Shirlington as dog-friendly!