Dogs and humans have worked side by side for thousands of years, and
over the millennia we've come to depend upon our pooches as hunters,
protectors, and faithful companions. But when it comes to the
extraordinary quality of man's best friend which we rely on most, the
winner is clear--by a nose. In Secrets of the Snout, Frank Rosell
blends storytelling and science as he sniffs out the myriad ways in
which dogs have been trained to employe their incredible olfactory
skills, from sussing out cancer and narcotics to locating endangered and
invasive species, as well as missing persons (and golf balls).
With 300 million receptors to our mere 5 million, a dog's nose is
estimated to be between 100,000 and 100 million times more sensitive
than a human's. No wonder, then, that our nasally inferior species has
sought to unleash the prodigious power of canine shnozzes. Rosell here
takes us for a walk with a pack of superhero sniffers including Tutta, a
dog with a fine nose for fine wine; the pet-finder pooch AJ;
search-and-rescue dog Barry; the hunting dog Balder; the police dogs
Rasko and Trixxi; the warfare dog Lisa; the cancer detection dog Jack;
Tucker, who scents floating killer whale feces; and even Elvis, who can
smell when you're ovulating. With each dog, Rosell turns his nose to the
evolution of the unique olfactory systems involved, which odors dogs
detect, and how they do it.
A celebration of how the canine sense for scents works--and works for
us--Secrets of the Snout will have dog lovers, trainers, and
researchers alike all howling with delight. Exploring this most pointed
of canine wonders, Rosell reveals the often surprising ways in which
dogs are bettering our world, one nose at a time.
