2009.02.27
Doggy potty places are not really random
Blog reader Michelle sent me a link to this story on MSNBC's Web site about a study that shows wolves and their cousins, domesticated dogs, are intentionally pooping in conspicuous places.
On any given day a survey of my backyard could be used to prove this theory.
Apparently wolves choose prominent places to relieve themselves to announce their presence; they leave their business card where they leave their business.
Isabel Barja, an Autonomous University of Madrid zoologist and author of the study, inspected wolf scat in a mountainous region of Spain's northwest Iberian Peninsula.
I'm guessing no one complains about their crappy job to Barja at cocktail parties.
Barja's study shows that almost 75 percent of the time a wolf will choose to make a deposit on a plant that matches its height and that stands out "against the homogeneous background of more common plants."
Ta-da! Look what I made!
According to an American Kennel Club spokeswoman quoted in the article, our pet pooches retain this instinct from their wild ancestors for much the same reason.
"In an urban setting, a fire hydrant can be a prominent landmark," Lisa Peterson, director of communications for the AKC , said. "If a dog relieves itself there, other dogs could smell its presence 30 yards away."
Apparently dogs want to show the next nose that wanders by that a big, bad doggy's been here and done that. She said dogs "[try] to pee as high as they can on fences and other objects in their environment."
Even pocket pooches, Peterson said, will lift their tiny legs as high as possible to let all who follow know what's what.
I can personally attest to this instinct in Dexter, who will lift a leg anywhere he gets a whiff other dogs, and he does seem to like an audience. We are almost certainly ensured to be embarrassed if we take him through PetSmart.
He's all but lost his go-inside-the-store privileges because he gleefully leaves his calling card. Our choice is to put a belly band on him or one of us has to remain outside with him while the other shops.
One of us usually stays outside.
i'm so glad you posted this - it now makes sense
we're determined that our choco lab seeks out the nicest, lushest lawns and prefers houses with people sitting on their front porch to do her business - what a show off!
now if only we could get her to move away in time from our boy dog who just learned to lift his leg...
Comment by christa — February 27, 2009 @ 2:49 pm
Perhaps this explains why I sometimes find doggie poo on the tops of some of my bushes! I never catch the culprit and I'm not totally convinced it's my dog because she's a little too short to make that deposit. However, I have seen her behave very unlady-like and hike her leg on a bush from time to time.
Comment by Kim — February 27, 2009 @ 3:10 pm