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Monthly Archives: August 2016

Study: Dogs understand intonation and vocabulary of human speech

31 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Dagny Gromer in Dogs

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

dog cognition, dog mind, Dogs

link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160829192701.htm

Dogs have the ability to distinguish vocabulary words and the intonation of human speech through brain regions similar to those that humans use, a new study reports.

Attila Andics et al. note that vocabulary learning “does not appear to be a uniquely human capacity that follows from the emergence of language, but rather a more ancient function that can be exploited to link arbitrary sound sequences to meanings.”

Also like humans, the researchers found that dogs process intonation separately from vocabulary, in auditory regions in the right hemisphere of the brain. Lastly, and also like humans, the team found that the dogs relied on both word meaning and intonation when processing the reward value of utterances.

Thus, dogs seem to understand both human words and intonation. The authors note that it is possible that selective forces during domestication could have supported the emergence of the brain structure underlying this capability in dogs, but, such rapid evolution of speech-related hemispheric asymmetries is unlikely.

Humans, they say, are only unique in their ability to invent words.

I trust a dog has never created an acronym 🙂

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Suzie and Shady

31 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Dagny Gromer in Dogs, labrador retriever, rat terrier

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Dogs

Suzie and Shady

Rat terrier Suzie with black lab Shady in the background. Shot on our patio.

Kitten Jay

30 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by Dagny Gromer in cats

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cats

Jay

Kitten Jay is available for adoption at the Yavapai Humane Society

Rabies Quarantine

30 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by Dagny Gromer in cats

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rabies quarantine

Rabies Quarantine

Cat in rabies quarantine. When an animal bites someone, it’s kept in isolation for 10 days. If there are no signs of rabies, then all is well.

Pit Bull Driver

30 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by Dagny Gromer in Dogs

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dog in a car, Dogs, pit bull

Pit Bull Driver

I saw this pit bull sitting in the driver’s seat. Looks like he’s waiting on someone. Seen in Prescott, Az

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