Why Your Dog Needs Friends, with Kim Brophey

In this special episode, ethologist Kim Brophey joins us to talk about the science showing just how sadly isolated our pet dogs have become, and — on the upside — the beautiful impact that a small, stable group of canine peers can have on this innately social species. A new scientific paper, "Disconnected Lives: Social Networks and Emotional Regulation in Domestic Dogs," jumpstarted this fantastic conversation that's filled with small, doable ways you can start helping your dog to have some fellow travelers as they navigate life here on Planet Human.  (We highly recommend reading the fascinating paper by Agnieszka Grynkiewicz — a fellow Family Dog Mediator! — Anna Reinholz, and Kamil Imber out of the University of Warsaw.)