Another week, another edition of The Scoop – our short summary of the best dog news from around the world. This week we’ve learned a little about why our pooches love a yoga mat (or should that be doga mat?), and we’ve all had a good ol’ giggle at a four-legged singing sensation, Lola and her two-legged backing singer, Annie!
What’s all the fuss about doga?
Ever wondered why there are so many videos and Instagram posts featuring doga? (That’s dogs doing yoga, for the uninitiated!) Well, the truth is actually quite simple. Dogs love yoga because… yoga mats are smelly and dogs find stinky things irresistible.
That’s right, we know dog’s noses are amazing – they’ve got more than 300 million olfactory receptors compared to only about 5 million in humans! Scientific tests have shown that dogs are more affectionate towards humans who play with them – they even prefer the smell of their sweat. Ah, true love!
Another reason dogs dig doga is because dogs only sweat through their paws. So pawing, as well as urinating, is a way for dogs to mark where they’ve been. But, as the article was quick to suggest, it might just be because dogs enjoy to spongy, non-slip surfaces too.
Who are the Champions?
Long road trips can be hard work. But when you’ve got a dog for company, even the longest journey is sure to be full of delightful moments. Like Annie, the woman driving in the above video, having a good sing-a-long (or a mime-a-long) in the car is one of the best way to beat the boredom blues while travelling.
Annie and Lola the Shiloh Shepherd picked a classic – the Queen classic ballad We Are The Champions. When the song reaches the rousing chorus, Lola joins in with some heartfelt howls of her own. Lola’s actually got pretty good pitch, for a dog. (No offence, dogs!)