[stephanie paladino]

Mine takes headlong dives into the grass and then vigorously, even acrobatically rolls multiple times during every single walk. I’m sure it’s not scent rolling, because she does it in so many different places and so frequently and without sniffing around or anything prior. Once she starts, she will usually dive more than once and not on a specific spot in the grass. She dives so that side of snout hits first and then progresses into a full body roll. She rarely does it in our own yard, which I’d think she’d do if it were because her skin itches. Sometimes it feels like she does it when we’re turning back home and she wants to keep walking, as if trying to get the harness off. But she will have done it randomly already before then, as well. Just joie de vivre?

[stephanie paladino]

Thanks, Jessica, for the look at Macy’s results, and the further interpretation of the genetic results. (Sorry, I don’t look at the site very often, just seeing replies now). Maybe as the reference pool expands, more shall be revealed. Including with more potential CDs entering it, as per Raluca-Williams. I still recommend reaching out specifically to Brisbin… Best of luck with the work….

[stephanie paladino]

Appreciate the thoughtful replies. As a response to the challenge mentioned of including dogs of reasonably confidant CD status, to the extent that’s possible – that’s why I thought directly reaching out to Dr. Brisbin is the best way. He has dogs on his property raised directly from dogs of known provenance, in the sense that they were wild caught by him and what he considers to be a Carolina Dog. As a scientist, I’d think he’d be interested in having them included. And there are some folks he’s cooperated with that have pooches from his pooches. Even if they’re not in the reference panel, having them in the study means one could still look for patterns in DNA and/or behavioral relationships, right?

As for my pooch in the study, I’d like to ask if y’all can check and make sure that the results sent me really are for my dog – I know there was at least one case of a mix-up, and as I say, the results just seemed so far off in terms of behavior and looks – except for the 1/3 unknown ancestry. I can imagine a lot of people are surprised by results and asking for same, so I hate to add one more request to the staff. But I remain with that doubt. Thanks.

[stephanie paladino]

Thanks for the reply – I don’t think I’ve seen these two recent studies, and look forward to checking them out. There is a fair amount of romanticization and mythification going on about CD’s – as often happens with anyone’s favorite obsession, but here also with the added element of this radical ‘indigenous’ possibility – which is one of the reasons I think Darwin’s should specifically reach out to Dr. Brisbin et al. If I wanted to look at a potential CD’s DNA, I’d make sure I got it from his/their dogs, since Brisbin in particular is the one defining what they are (or might be) and has the dogs he thinks represent them (unlike many others who think they might). Plus, there are distinctive behaviors and personalities Brisbin et al. associate with the dogs, which fits into the Darwin’s quest – so if there were anything distinctive about them, it would be good to have that in the wider sample.

[stephanie paladino]

My dog had a kind of breath-pant language. She had some specific pant-sounds she would make at specific times, like when she was excited that that we might be going out. The differences were in the sound she made (one was a very round hoh-hoh-hoh) and in the speed and rhythm of repetition. Often, when I would do the particular breath-pant back at her, she’d respond with more. I found myself sometimes initiating the pant to indicate we were going out, and she would often respond back. Another thing: early on, when I first had her as a young adult dog, I was woken up by yowling from her belly so loud that I thought there was another animal in the living room with her. The vet suggested I feed her twice a day, and giving her a breakfast took care of that. But if there was ever a time when she went beyond some time threshold without eating, particularly in the morning, her belly would start to yowl and squeal loudly; her response was always to go out and forage for a coupe of wild plants – one, a Verbena, the other a Solidago (goldenrod), both of which are used by people as digestive herbs, or a specific grass (not any grass). Getting food into her always calmed the belly yowls within a few minutes, but it interested me that she never seemed to make the connection – on her own, her first impulse was always to go find plants, rather than just eat food.

[stephanie paladino]

Is there a new survey since December of 2017? I’ve completed 15. Also, I’ve sent a couple of inquiries about redoing one or two early surveys that I filled out based on my dog’s old age condition rather than her lifelong condition, and therefore include erroneous info. Haven’t heard back though!

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