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Dog-centric research
compiled by Dirk Manley, Improbable Research staff

Dog Likes You Like You Like Dog?
“I Like My Dog, Does My Dog Like Me?” Therese Rehn, Ulrika Lindholm, Linda Keeling, and Björn Forkman, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 150, 2014, pp. 65– 73. The authors, at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and at the University of Copenhagen, explain:

In this study, the possibility of there being an association between how an owner perceives his/her relationship to their dog and the way the dog experiences the relationship to its owner was investigated using two well-established methods... the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP)... and the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale...

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There are plenty of dogs out there who enjoy playing chase and be chased, but only the shyest and meekest dogs hide well enough to engage in a game of hide and seek.

That doesn't stop dogs from trying to hide every time thunder starts clapping outside or they get yelled at for knocking over the trash yet again.

But try as they might they're just not very good at hiding.

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Dogs are the very best seekers though, so some of their strange hiding habits may be a way of masking their scent so their canine pursuers can't sniff them out.

Either that, or dogs are just total weirdos!

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See Proof That Dogs are Terrible at Hide and Seek here

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Orcas eat seals -we know that. Seals know that too and they know the best way to escape is to get to dry land. When there is no dry land though, there is another option for the truly desperate -a boat. And this little terrified guy was all too willing to hop a ride on a passing by ship filled with humans as long as it meant he wasn't on the orca dinner menu.

Via Digg

Humans assume dogs don't appreciate fine art because they often tear any artwork they find lying around to bits, but dogs explore the world with their mouths and they mean no disrespect.

In fact, if a dog's eyes worked like ours they would definitely appreciate art and stare at it more, but they can't see colors like we do.

So dog lover and artist Dominic Wilcox decided to put together an art show both dogs and their humans would find amusing, with exhibits that appeal to canine sensibilities.

'Play More' includes- paintings with colors within the dog vision color spectrum, a giant ball pit shaped like a food bowl full of kibble, a virtual frisbee screen, simulated car window experience, and dancing water jets to delight and refresh art lovin' dogs.

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See more from World's First Art Exhibition For Dogs here

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A Brazilian musician sings with his parrot, who knows the songs and even harmonizes in places! I’d like to know how long they’ve been making music together for the bird to be such a good performer. -via Digg

What do you do when three of your friends have birthdays within one week of another? You throw a giant, joint-birthday party. And that's exactly what Washington D.C.'s National Zoo did to celebrate the birthdays of three of their four pandas. Little Bei Bei turned one on Monday (that's not him in the photo since he slept through the cake time).

Bao Bao turns three today.

And pappa Tian Tian turns 19 on Saturday.

It seems safe to say that everyone had a good time, even if little Bei Bei here didn't actually get to eat his own birthday cake.

Man, it must really suck to be the little Desert rain frog in this video by Dean Boshoff, because the ornery little critter is so cute even his scream of displeasure sounds like a squeaky toy!

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Dean was clearly in awe of the squeaky little guy when he wrote this about the encounter:

I recorded a short clip of the defensive cry of the Desert rain frog – Breviceps macrops while walking along the sand dunes in Port Nolloth, a coastal town in the Northern Cape province, it alerted me to its presence with its fearsome war cry. I knelt down and proceeded to photograph and film this unusual creature’s behaviour.

The Desert rain frog clearly doesn't have a clue about active defenses, because if it did it would realize its ridiculously cute squeak just makes people like Dean Boshoff want to pester it more!

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-Via Laughing Squid

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It seems all roosters think they are the cock of the walk, but Charlie the chicken knows how to look good. He lives on Arizona’s Snodgrass family farm and while I can't find any information on why he has pants or where he got them, there's no denying that he looks great in them.

Via Fashionably Geek

If you enjoyed Pac-Dog, you’ll love watching a hamster play a hamster-sized game of Super Mario Bros! He’s not at all bad at it, too.

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The hamster only gets through the first level, however. I’m sure that constructing the subterranean maze would be a huge project. Had my hopes up for a minute there, didn’t you? -via Viral Viral Videos

Simon Tofield and Nicky Trevorrow explain how cats go nuts when it’s feeding time. My cats can tell time better than I can, because if I’m the least bit late with the nightly Fancy Feast, they gang up on me. My oldest cat has nothing better to do than to guard the kibble bowl and let me know when it’s not quite full.

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The best part of it is that this video ends with a new Simon’s Cat cartoon entitled Feed Me.

Some animals need their hair cut whether it's because the fur gets tangled too easily or because the pet would get too darn hot otherwise. It's not surprising then that some people figure that if their critter doesn't know what its hair cut looks like -they won't care how ridiculous it is.

While that line of reasoning seems logical enough, a look at the faces of the animals included in this top ten list of worst animal hair cuts know they are being madde to look a fool and they don't appreciate it. I anticipate that a lot of these pet owners are about to find a "present" on their pillow tomorrow.

Our pets are seen as a reflection of ourselves, and people reckon they can glean information about our personality, lifestyle and temperament from the types of pets we own.

And while this isn't always true, especially when it comes to dog owners, there's always at least one person who lives up to the stereotype in each group of owners.

People who own snakes aren't always creepy, but there's always that one guy who thinks it's fine to make out with his salmonella-infested serpent when people are over.

And then there are the people who own a bunch of cats or ferrets and refuse to acknowledge that their house always smells like animal urine.

But at least they actually own their pets and don't smell like they're covered in their own urine, that's when you start getting into a whole new level of creepiness.

Of course, you don't have to be homeless to be a totally deranged pet owner, just ask the crazy cat lady who can't remember exactly how many kitties she has roaming around in her house.

And no matter what anybody tells you human ownership is not okay and never was, so when your Gimp tells you he's yours to do with what you will he's speaking figuratively.

Take it from comic artist extraordinaire Caldwell Tanner and let the Gimps roam free!

-Via CollegeHumor

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Dogs sometimes refuse to take no for an answer when they're desperate to say hello, and no bush, wall or fence can keep them from shoving their head through to greet their neighbor face to face.

This almost manic drive to see who or what is living next door can result in wrecked fences, tunnels dug in the dirt under walls, and a sad little pooch with a stupid look on his face when he realizes he's stuck.

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Of course, not all dogs are saddened by the prospect of being stuck, because they're just happy to be out of the house!

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See 10+ Desperate Dogs Who Just Want To Say Hi here

This is Doodlebug, a young eastern grey kangaroo taken in by Gillian Abbott, who cares for orphaned wildlife at her home in New South Wales. She’s raised joeys and wallabies for seven years, and has successfully released 35 of them into the wild. Abbott has several teddy bears and other toys hanging from trees to provide enrichment for the animals. She took a picture of Doodlebug hugging a teddy bear and sent it to her son, who Tweeted it. The image became a viral sensation.  

"He was found abandoned and he actually walked up to a member of the public, put his arms up and asked to be picked up," she said.

The joey has been with the wildlife carer ever since and is now classified as "soft release".

"As you can see the gates are open, he can go through the bush, stay out as long as he likes but he can come home and have a feed if he's hungry," Ms Abbott said.

Abbott says she only sent the picture to make her grandchildren happy, but is glad it is also making strangers on the internet happy. -via reddit

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A pair of masked intruders were caught in the act of roaming the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City Wednesday night. Security footage shows two raccoons running through the building. Evidence indicates they rifled through a state senator’s office and left a mess in a cabinet where snacks are kept. The cleaning crew found the critters in the restroom, where they were trapped until animal control could be summoned.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which provides security for the Capitol, says it's not sure how the raccoons made it into the building. Patrol Capt. John Paul joked: "They didn't have any ID on them, no known address."

The two raccoons were to be taken to a wildlife sanctuary. You can see the security video and more pictures of the raccoons and the damage they did at KFOR. -Thanks, John Farrier!