Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Best Of Blue Dot: Yes, Your Dog Really Loves You and Science Can Prove It!

Dave Schlom

In this episode, Dave is going to the dogs. Literally. But that's OK with him because Dave loves dogs and dogs love him and now, thanks to Dr. Clive Wynne, he can prove it. Dr. Wynne, a researcher in animal behavior at Arizona State University, is the author of the new book, Dog is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You.

From Pavlov's dogs (you'll find out there's more to that story than wringing a bell) to modern research using MRI machines, Wynne's book is an exploration of a simple and compelling question that he asked himself, "What is it that makes dogs special?" 

 

Dr. Clive Wynne and his rescue dog Xephos

Their intelligence can seem remarkable but is it compared to other animal species? What is it about them that has bonded them to the human species and so intertwined them into the lives of people over generations?

Join us and find out why dogs actually do love us and how we actually can know that intellectually as well as intuitively. 

And finally, Dave dedicates the show to his niece Jennifer Williams, who has devoted her life to animal rescue and specializes in pregnant and injured or seriously ill dogs. You can donate to the Deserving Pet Rescue organization that Jennifer volunteers for here.

Dave Schlom is the longtime host and creator of Blue Dot. From surfing to Voyager in interstellar space, rock guitar to orcas in our imperiled oceans, the topics on Blue Dot are as varied as the host’s interests and connections -- which are pretty limitless! An internationally respected space history journalist, Dave is also deeply fascinated by all aspects of the grand workings of nature’s awesome machinery on scales ranging from galactic to subatomic. And topics take in all aspects of the arts and sciences.
Matt Fidler is a producer and sound designer with over 15 years’ experience producing nationally distributed public radio programs. He has worked for shows such as Freakonomics Radio, Selected Shorts, Studio 360, The New Yorker Radio Hour and The Takeaway. In 2017, Matt launched the language podcast Very Bad Words, hitting the #28 spot in the iTunes podcast charts.