2016-04-10 – Often on a walk, my dog Lefty will start to purposefully sniff the ground. This doesn’t impede the walk until he finds something, presumably, of interest. Then he stops sniffs with greater intensity until he’s reached some conclusion about the spot, whereupon he noisily exhales. Then he might pee or poop or even do nothing, and then move on. Sniff, sniff, sniff, pah. Sniff, sniff, sniff, pah.

I’ve not seen this kind of intensity except in people who walk while texting.

Could it be the same behavior?

If you have a dog, you are well acquainted with the maneuver your dog does after pooping (sometimes after peeing) of scraping the ground with their hind legs. I used to think this was some kind of atavistic behavior remnant of some long-ago ancestor that buried their poop. My dog doesn’t even come close to achieving burial. And he doesn’t seem to mind if I pull him by the leash to turn his rear away from the poop so that any grass he might scrape up doesn’t even come close to landing on the poop. He still happily scrapes away. Recently, someone told me that this behavior somehow enhances the smell broadcast to other dogs.

Between scraping and constant peeing on every vertical object, Lefty is apparently posting on the Internet for dogs.

Sniff, sniff, sniff, pah.

Swipe-left, swipe-left, swipe-left, swipe-right.