Your dog’s stereoscopic nose

If you have a dog, I’m sure you have observed him in action sniffing his way around the neighborhood. Watson reads the pee mail each and every morning as we walk around Laura Mills Park. In a recent interview, Alexandra Horowitz, the author of “Inside a Dog,” explained the amazing canine nose.

Dogs have a sophisticated sniffer starting with stereoscopic capability They can actually smell separately with each nostril. They also have a long snout that humidifies and filters the air as it rushes it to the back of the nose. At the back of the nose is the olfactory epithelium that contains millions of receptor cells that grab odors and send the signal to the brain.

Stereoscopic sniffing allows them to detect not only if a smell is there but where in space it might be. Is it more to the left? Is in front of me? Dogs actually create a picture of the world through smell. They also exhale through the side slits of their nose. This allows odors to stay the back of the nose longer.

Dogs can tell time by smelling. The newer the odor, the stronger it will be; weaker odors are older. The future is smelled on a breeze from up ahead. For dogs smells are just information. They don’t have the same judgment on smells that humans do. Smells just inform them of what is out there.

I often wondered why Watson gets close to my mouth to sniff and now I know why. He’s finding out important information about me. He always knows when I’ve eaten a cookie or treat and then makes me feel guilty for not sharing it. That’s what I get from having a nosey dog.

IN NEED OF

Volunteers to help build kennels. Call 775-423-7500 for details.

Towels and blankets for our dog kennels.

Volunteers to walk dogs or play with cats. Call 775-423-7500 for details.

Aluminum cans, which we recycle to augment our shelter funds. We are unable to pick up cans because of trailer problems, but please continue to save them.

SHOUT OUT TO

D&D Plumbing for all of your help in getting our water and plumbing problems solved. A Four Paws salute to you!

Norma Klenakis for speaking to the American Association of University Women about CAPS’ history. You have truly made a big difference in our community!

COME SEE US

CAPS will be at Walmart Saturday with the Kissin’ Booth and a puckered-up pooch. Come by to get your pooch smooch. We also have caps, shirts, and mugs so be sure to check out the merchandise after you have loved on our pup.

DON’T FORGET

November Pet Holidays: National Take a Hike is today.

To register in the AmazonSmile program, a website operated by Amazon. Customers enjoy many of the same selection of products, low prices and shopping features as on Amazon.com. The only difference is that, when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organization selected by you.

Flower Tree Nursery will be raffling a 20-gallon blue spruce tree on Dec. 16, and the winner doesn’t have to be present to win. The raffle tickets are available at Flower Tree, and they are $1 for one ticket and $5 for six tickets.

CONTACT CAPS

CAPS’ mailing address is P.O. Box 5128, Fallon, NV 89407. CAPS’ phone number is 775-423-7500. CAPS’ email address is caps@cccomm.net. Please visit the CAPS website (www.capsnevada.com) and Facebook page (Churchill Animal Protection Society). Be sure to “Like” CAPS on Facebook because we are really likable. CAPS is open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Do you have questions, comments or a great story? Contact me jkwmil@outlook.com.

Kathleen Williams-Miller, a CAPS volunteer, contributed this week’s column.