Be a tree

Dogs possess all five basic senses that humans have. These senses help animals orient themselves to their environment to find food, escape from danger, and locate others of their own kind. It may be advantageous for the pet owners to be aware of few important differences and variations in all five senses between humans and their companion animals. Others who simply want to be safe (or work for spreading safety awareness among masses) from physical assault associated with stray dog overpopulation in our valley, the differences between the three most important senses that are either highly developed (smell & hearing) or modified (vision) in dogs as compared to humans may find the following list interesting:

1. Sense of Smell:
2. a) for every scent receptor in humans, a dog has at least fifty (50).
3. b) in dogs unlike humans, twelve to thirteen percent (12-13%) of inhaled air is separated through an upper pathway, and carried directly to the olfactory epithelium for detection of odours.
4. c) pheromones released by fellow dogs for communicating fear & distress are detected by a special smelling organ called “Vomero Nasal or Jacobson’s organ”. The organ is either nonexistent or rudimentary in humans.
5. d) “sniffing lateralization”- every inhaled air wave passing through two nostrils in canines is processed & analysed separately for different chemicals/odours.
6. e) during encounters the dogs can ascertain presence or absence of distress in humans facing them & proceed accordingly.
7. f) dogs can pick up a scent as far away as 1.6 miles in a rural environment.
8. Hearing:
9. a) dogs hear sounds four (4) times farther away.
10. b) hear sounds of higher frequency (upper limit 50,000 Hz) than humans (20,000 Hz only).
11. c) can differentiate sounds more easily.
12. d) can pinpoint the exact location of the sound.
13. e) ears with eighteen (18) muscles (humans 6 only), the dogs can tilt & rotate ears independently or in unison; a highly coordinated and efficient way to funnel the sound into the middle & inner ear very efficiently.

III. Vision:

1. a) dogs can see up to a distance eight (8) times farther than humans.
2. b) in the retina, among the two types of photoreceptors dogs have more rods than cones & thus can see far better at “night” & “in low light situation”.
3. c) have greater motion sensitivity allowing them to better identify “moving objects” than stationary ones.
4. d) their peripheral vision is wider (250 degree horizontally) than humans (180 degree) allowing them to view an object from a wider field of view.
5. e) can’t differentiate shapes as well as humans & struggle with angles & distances less than twenty (20) feet away.

Although children may only occasionally be asked to carry major food items, garbage or kitchen waste, but are routinely seen purchasing junk food & carrying them to home or school. All school going children also carry lunch boxes in their bags and most of them have to walk the elders either send the children alone or keep simply watching them from a distance till the bus arrives and the child boards it. Considering the higher level of sensing abilities in dogs, they can arrive the spot instantly (even if nowhere visible initially) and the situation could become dangerous. If parents are made to understand the essence of the above enlisted peculiarities, lives of children can be saved from dog bites & their consequences.

Instead of getting panicked & trying to run away, children should be strongly advised to stand still and avoid direct eye contact with the dog in case any unfortunate encounter occurs. This “Be a Tree” concept needs popularization among children of all age groups.

During winter vacations many boys in middle childhood & preteen age groups are frequently noticed playing in the lanes & by-lanes in cities and towns. Generally pedestrian movement and at times vehicular traffic as well are controlled by packs of hefty canines. It is our responsibility as parents to safeguard children and to teach them the skills to be safe.

Mujeeb Fazili, Ex-Associate Director Research (AS)

Ex-Prof. & Head, University Veterinary Hospital

Shuhama, SKUAST-Kashmir