Yes, just when you thought our headlines could not get any more special we come up with a corker like that. Have you ever wondered how dogs
are able to walk in the snow with no shoes? Or how a dog’s body regulates heat? If the answer to these questions is no, then there is a quiz on the previous page for you to do.
A scientist in Japan has discovered why it is that dogs do not need shoes to walk in the snow. They have a system in place which feeds warm oxygenated blood from their hearts directly to the pads of their paws allowing them to remain warm despite the contact with the cold snow. Professor Hiroyoshi Ninomiya of Yamazaki Gakuen University studied a preserved dog leg under different heat conditions and discovered that:
“Dogs exchange heat at the end of their legs. Arterial blood flows to the end of their legs and then heats up venous blood before returning it to the heart. In other words, they have a heat exchange system in their feet.”
The findings have been published in the journal Veterinary Dermatology.
The report goes on to say that the through inter-breeding, some breeds of dogs will no longer like the snow and it does not recommend that dogs be dragged through snowy climates on a whim. It is thought that the heat moderation system within dogs developed because they evolved from wolves, which lived in colder climates.
Now, just because dogs do not need shoes does not mean that they just be deprived of the latest in fashionable attire. Our pet couture correspondent and woman in the know, Bee told us:
“The truly fashion forward use footwear as an outward reflection of the soul, state of mind, and place in society. I think it would be bordering on animal cruelty to deprive our canine companions of such freedom of expression.”
You can read the full report here.
Do the pink laces help?