Humans have associated dogs with death for millennia. Ancient Persians believed a dog’s stare drove the demon Nasu out of a corpse. Some Mayan traditions say a black dog carries the newly deceased to the land of the dead.
Cat Warren brings that heritage into the present with Solo, a bouncy cadaver-sniffing German shepherd. Host Anita Rao talks with Warren about Solo’s story featured in her upcoming young readers edition of her New York Times best-selling book, “What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World” (Simon & Schuster/ 2013). Warren refreshed the adult version with new material, clever quips for kids and illustrations from Patricia Wynne.
The book tells of her adventures in training Solo and lessons learned working alongside a scenting dog. With a different depth of senses, dogs are truly an in-house laboratory for kids to get excited about citizen science. Warren weaves canine history and science into an endearing tale of her and Solo’s evolving trust.