Scientists around the world are peering deep into the bodies and minds of cats and dogs, hoping to learn more about how they wriggled their way into our lives, how they experience the world and how to keep them living in it longer. It’s a shift that some experts say is long overdue.
“We have a responsibility to deeply understand these animals if we’re going to live with them,” Dr. [Monique Udell, who directs the human-animal interaction lab at Oregon State University] said. “We also have this great potential to learn a lot about them and a lot about ourselves in the process.”
Dogs and cats share many of our genes, of course, but they also share our homes. “They’re not a mouse living in a cage,” said Dr. Kelly Diehl, a veterinarian who directs science communications for the Morris Animal Foundation, which is conducting the golden retriever study.
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That makes pets good models for studying environmental and lifestyle influences on health. For instance, one team of golden retriever researchers is looking for links between pollutants and lymphoma. Early results from the Dog Aging Project suggest that dogs with active lifestyles are at decreased risk for “doggy dementia” and that living in a social environment, such as a home that includes other pets, may be good for canine health.
