Dogs

Montana's Blackfeet Nation is experimenting with a new way to detect chronic wasting disease in animals and toxic substances in plants used by tribal members for food and cultural practices.

Trumpet won out of six other pooches, including a French bulldog, a German shepherd, a Maltese, an English setter, a Samoyed and a Lakeland terrier.

A school in southeastern Massachusetts latches onto a novel program that uses canines to sniff out COVID on surfaces. The idea is to help protect kids from the virus and keep the school open.

A Russian woman living in Burgundy wanted to help pet dogs of Ukraine and their human companions get to safety. She turned to a Facebook group for lovers of a famous dog breed to find them.

Erin Wilson recounts how her dog saved her from a mountain lion attack while she hiked along a river in remote Northern California. Eva the Belgian Malinois is recovering.

The tiny Jack Russell terrier is credited with detecting hundreds of Russian explosive devices since the start of the war. His other pastimes include snacking on cheese and napping at press briefings.

A new study based on thousands of DNA sequences and owner surveys finds that less than 10% of a dog's behavior — like howling, herding or retrieving — can be explained by its breed.

Two-year-old Patron works with rescuers in the northern city of Chernihiv, where he sniffs out Russian bombs (in addition to warming laps, nipping sleeves and generally being a good boy).

A second-grade class wrote persuasive letters on behalf of shelter dogs, urging folks to adopt the animals. So far, the young writers have been successful.

With smushed-in faces and compact bodies, bulldogs are prone to health problems. A court in Norway recently banned breeding them, sparking an international debate.

They have offered comfort at nursing homes, schools — even disaster sites. Now, a study shows that a 10-minute visit from therapy dogs can help relieve emergency room patients' pain.