b'editor unleashedAnna Cooke, Editor in ChiefeReflections and The Art of DogIn the 1970s, Gordon G. Gallup Jr., a pro- More so than in the past, the heart of fessorofpsychologyatSUNY-Albany,this issue of The New Barker is the art of dog. developed the mirror test to evaluate anOf course, we begin with the cover. Since animals self-awareness by marking a spot2006,ithasalwaysfeaturedanoriginal on their body that only they could see inwork of art by a different artist. We often a mirror. If the animal tried to investigatehearfromreadersrecountinghowthey or remove the mark, that indicated somehave saved their copies of The New Barker level of self-recognition. Great apes, dol- for the covers, much the same way fans of phins, elephants, and some birds passed theThe New Yorker do. test. Dogs typically did not.Suzanne Sheran, a New Yorker, is our When dogs encounter a mirror, theycoverartist.HerportraitofHazel mayrespondbybarkingorlunging.introduced me to a breed of dog I was not However, most dogs quickly lose interestaware existed. The Silken Windhound is a in looking at themselves in the mirror. Thework of art unto its own. latterdescribeseverysingleoneofourOurBooks,Movies,Music& More own dogs, past and present. I do not viewcolumn features books with, dare I say, a theirbehaviorasapassorfailgrade.moreillustrativepointofviewonour Anna Cooke and Angel as a puppy. Perhapstheirbehaviorisfromamorefavoritesubject.Onesuchbook, intellectual point of view: I am, therefore, IYoureNotARealDogOwnerUntil. do not need to acknowledge my own reflection. is a collaborative effort by Jason Chatfield, Science tells us that the reason someanAustraliancartoonistandcomedian dogs do not respond to their reflection isliving in New York, and Scott Dooley, an their reliance on their sense of smell ratherAustralian comedian and writer, also living thanvision.AnimagelackingscentinNewYork.Bothofthemare simplyhasnomeaningfulregistration.contributors to The New Yorker.Theresnothingparticularlyofanyinterest,In our Dog Homefront column, the art here. Walk away."ofdogappearsonaccessoriesfor All of this does not mean dogs donthomeandgarden. Weopenthecolumn haveasenseofawareness.ItsjustawithPerfectlyImperfect,afunstory different, shall we say, scent of awareness. Inabout one womans lifelong love of, and another study, dogs showed great interestdevotion to, English Bulldogs.in the scent of their own urine when itWe also tackle some tough subjects in wasaltered,whichcouldindicatetheythisissue.DinaAthanassiesfeatureon have an olfactory sense of self rather thanpuppy mills, Yes, They Still Exist, reminds a visual one. Dogs know exactly who theyme that the holidays are fast approaching. are without having to check the mirrorPleasereconsidergivingthegiftofa An autographed copy of for some false sense of security. puppyduringthisgift-givingseason. Youre Not A Real Dog Owner Until. InGreekmythology,NarcissuswasPerhaps, instead, consider a gift card with knownforhisbeauty.Herejectedthethe promise to visit the local animal shel-advances of all women and men, insteadter, post holidays. And, please, a hard pass falling in love with his own reflection in aon purchasing a puppy from a retail store pool of water. He was miserable at beingthat sells puppies most likely sourced from kept apart from his reflected love.a puppy-mill.But was Narcissus beautiful? said theIf someone you know has their heart pool, is a line in a poem by Oscar Wildeset on a particular breed of dog or a puppy, called The Disciple.please ask them to send me an email for If we really want to know what weassistance in finding them one. I promise look like, just look into the eyes of a dog.to do my best to help. They are the windows to our souls. anna@thenewbarker.comU6THE NEW BARKERwww.TheNewBarker.com'