A dog’s nose has around 300 million scent receptors, as against the six million in ours. The dog olfactory system is so powerful that it can catch a whiff of one rotten apple in two million barrels!
By Nazarul Islam
On a warm night in our Florida community, the Riviera Isles—we were out for a late-night walk with Duke, the pet dog—on the near-tranquil streets. His favorite spot on that road was a pile of stones in a construction site, which doubled up as a ‘pee bank’ of all the neighborhood dogs, on the leash. As he checked out the different scents, with a lightning speed, he also caught a mouse in his mouth.
While it was too late for us to rescue the unfortunate victim of the massacre, what struck us about this incident was how quick Duke was in catching the whiff of the mouse. It shouldn’t be a surprise for most dog owners, though: we are used to the vanishing treats on the table, the appearance of a dog silhouette when we sneak out a cup of ice-cream from the fridge, or the ringing of the bark alarm before the parcel arrives at the door — all in a few microseconds! That’s what a mighty snout can do.
A dog perceives the world through its nose — sniffing almost everything on the way. Having evolved to scavenge and hunt, its nose plays a vital role in locating a meal. Our street dogs spend most of their active time snuffling in the garbage, looking for a piece of rotten meat or moldy bread. There is a lot of joy in the simple acts of sniffing the tires of a parked car, electricity posts, trees, gates, each other’s butts and everything in between! The whiff of a squirrel or a cat can drive them berserk.
On the other hand, our pampered pets are deprived of the freedom to stick their nose into anything they wish. We go “NOOOO!” when we see them check out the garbage bag, a chocolate wrapper, grocery sack, our clothes or anything that is interesting in the dog’s world (tush included).
Pet dogs have to satiate their scout for exciting smells with air fresheners, perfumes, food aromas and such ‘boring’ stuff. Even on a walk, their penchant for all kinds of pee and poop is disgusting to us. We soon pull them away and wonder, “eww, why does Duke do that?” The answer lies in his nose – Snout power.
A dog’s nose has around 300 million scent receptors, as against the six million in ours. When it inhales, the air it takes in can either go to the lungs or a dedicated area in its long snout cramped with smell receptors. Here’s where the magic happens; out of thin air, literally. The dog olfactory system is so powerful that it can catch a whiff of one rotten apple in two million barrels!
It is no wonder we use dogs to sniff out bombs, drugs, animals and even diseases. In fact, studies show that they outperform many Covid-19 test kits in detecting the infection.
Dogs also have a unique body part, called the Jacobson’s organ, at the bottom of their nasal passage. Here’s where the pheromones — chemical messengers that relay information on sex-related details and mating readiness — are processed. That’s how Duke can tell a dog’s sex, age, health and behavior with one sniff of its pee! So, is it ew or yay?
Also, if you have seen Fido wiggle his nostrils incessantly or lick his nose, there are good reasons for that. Dogs can decipher the direction in which an odor arrives and use that as a compass. They can also move each nostril independently — a feat you would fail at. A wet nose does a great job at capturing all the exciting smell particles.
When endowed with a powerful sense of smell, how fair is it to have their nose on a noose? Studies show that sniffing is a stimulating activity for the dog’s brain, decreasing his pulse rate and calming him down. While letting Fido off the leash on a busy street to put his nose to work is dangerous, you can still make his world exciting with smells.
How about going on a sniffari — a super-slow walk on a long leash, where he can sniff everything on his way at his own pace? It gives the handsome boy a chance to check out all the gorgeous girls around and send them a pee-mail!
When Duke goes for a walk, I don’t count my steps anymore. Instead, I keep a tab on all that he has stuck his nose into, and I am never disappointed. I have found a lost wallet (no money, sigh), a dead baby squirrel, a tennis ball and many interesting flowers this way! At home, we play ‘treasure hunt’ with his treats strewn everywhere or ‘hide-and-seek’ with the neighborhood kids. On some days, we just sit by an open window as he smells the world go by.
One way or the other, it’s our way of honoring his incredible nose!
[author title=”Nazarul Islam ” image=”https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nazarul-Islam-2.png”]The Bengal-born writer Nazarul Islam is a senior educationist based in USA. He writes for Sindh Courier and the newspapers of Bangladesh, India and America. He is author of a recently published book ‘Chasing Hope’ – a compilation of his 119 articles. [/author]
Credit: DH/NI
