Write About Your Dog!
When she was a little girl, Lesléa Newman had a dog named Angus. He looked just like Toto from The Wizard of Oz. Every day, she used to walk Angus through her neighborhood. Lesléa called this "The Hour of the Dog Walk," and it was full of amazing images and ideas. "Angus had a crush on a dog named Dusty – a Cocker Spaniel," Lesléa says. "Then there was Alfie, a Terrier who lived across the street. There was a cocoa-colored Poodle a few houses down." When she got back home from the walk, Lesléa wrote about the dogs in a notebook. She described what they did, what they looked like, how Angus acted around them. She added new details, things that didn't actually happen on the walk. Maybe the Poodle talked, or perhaps Angus and Dusty went on a date. Instead of a simple dog walk, Lesléa now had a great story or poem that made her proud to read.
Not everything was fun. "There was a really mean dog named Lucas across the street," Lesléa says. "Angus got into a fight with him one day." But with writing, even the scary scenes can be explored safely. Lesléa could write in her notebook about the fight. Or she could go even further. "Once I wrote a story about Angus getting hit by a car," Lesléa says. "That never happened. But I guess I was afraid it could happen. I loved Angus so much I didn't want him to get hurt." Instead of pushing scary ideas away, Lesléa wrote about them. Suddenly, it wasn't so scary.
As she grew up, Lesléa kept writing every day, putting down in that notebook whatever she experienced, using her imagination to add exciting details. She showed her stories to her teachers and her parents. Soon her writing appeared in magazines, then in books. Because she worked at it consistently, today Lesléa's job is being a writer. It has been her job for 25 years. She still gets story ideas from everyday life, although now she writes using a computer instead of a notebook.
One of Lesléa's books is called Hachiko Waits. It's about an Akita named Hachiko who lived in Japan from 1923 to 1935. Hachiko was a very loyal dog who waited every day, his whole life, at the train station for his master to come home. He became famous throughout the world. When Lesléa heard Hachiko's story, it impressed her so much she wanted to write about it. She spoke with people who had heard Hachiko's story. But there were a lot of details no one knew. How could she write a book if she didn't have all the details? She learned all about Japan, so she could picture the story in her mind. She just had to close her eyes to imagine Hachiko and see people who knew and loved him.
Thousands of kids have read Hachiko Waits. Lesléa goes to schools and tells kids how she researched and wrote the book. This is one of her favorite parts of being an author. "I love talking to kids and hearing what they like about my books," she says. After Lesléa speaks to classes, students often draw pictures of Hachiko and write a few words of their own. Lesléa saves these pictures and words, and she often looks at them for inspiration.
Lesléa is excited that kids across the country are reading about Hachiko and drawing pictures of the legendary dog. "It makes me proud to know that this story is making it into all those children's lives," she says. "You can connect with people who have never met you. But they actually know me a lot because they read something I created."
Do you ever wake up from a dream and can't get the pictures and sounds out of your head? One of Lesléa's books is called Dogs, Dogs Dogs! It started with a dream. "I woke up one day and I kept thinking of this dream where a dog was walking through the city all alone. There was music that went with it. So I asked myself, what I could do with this? It was like a puzzle or a game." She wrote down what she saw. She mixed in some real-life dogs. "Once I got them all in there, I realized this was a counting book, and it rhymed." She wrote that one dog was walking, then two dogs were running, three were leaping, four bouncing, five flying, six dancing, seven gallivanting, all the way up to 10. Soon she had a new book. It all started with one dog from a dream. The music from the dream created a song for all the rhymes.
"It's a gift when you get stories from dreams," Lesléa explains. "I don't know where it comes from. It's like magic." If you ever have a dream like that, hold onto it, write down what you see. Ask yourself what it means, and come up with your own answers. But do it before the dream disappears!
Lesléa says that writing is like a close friend you can always rely on. "Writers have something that lasts our entire life's journey," she says. "It will always be there." When she wrote Hachiko Waits, there were times when it was difficult to get everything just right. Even expert writers sometimes have a tough time! "Whenever I got stuck, I'd think about how patient Hachiko was, and then I was more patient with my writing. Hachiko kept me company all that time." Just like Hachiko, Lesléa explains, "Writing never abandons you."
Keep on writing, and you get better. "I once met a writer who's 90 years old!" Lesléa says. "She told me, 'I haven't written my best story yet.'" This is what keeps writers going. "There's always the possibility that today you'll write something better than you ever wrote before. The next day, you can write something even better than that. And it just keeps going."
Why Do They Do That?
Two dogs play together in the park. When Dee sees someone throw a tennis ball, she runs as fast as she can to fetch it. She'll do this over and over again. The other dog, Ennay, is not interested in tennis balls, but he does something else. If a kid gets too close to the road, Ennay races over to "herd" the kid back inside the park. What makes Dee retrieve nonstop? What makes Ennay always want to herd?
Journey Into the Dog
You and a friend are about to climb aboard a special space ship. Two other kids get into a second ship. Once inside your ships, you shrink down until you are as small as a grain of salt.
Instead of launching into outer space, you fly down into Dee's fur. Your friends fly their ship into Ennay's fur. You stay in touch through a radio.
As you fly deeper down, Dee's skin appears below you – little pink hills, like the surface of a strange planet. Your ship shrinks even more and you head down into Dee's skin. Soon, what seemed like a smooth surface looks like lots of little discs. There are millions of these everywhere you look. These are the "cells" that make up Dee's body.
Your ship shrinks even more. It is so small someone needs a powerful microscope to find you. You zoom straight for one of Dee's cells. In the center of that cell is a black spot, like an eye. That's the nucleus. Believe it or not, your ship shrinks some more. Adjusting the controls, you head right into that black spot.
Now you see some weird stuff. The black spot is packed with what looks like pieces of string. Count them, and you will see 78 pieces. Each piece of string has tiny little beads on it, from one end to the other. They don't look like much, just floating quietly. But those beads are sending out powerful commands telling Dee's body to do everything – what fur color and eye color she has, her height, how fast she runs, what her bark sounds like, and more.
You fly up close to one piece of string and look at five of those beads. Get on the radio and contact your friends in the other ship, the one that has been traveling inside Ennay's cells. What do they observe? They tell you they see the same five beads in Ennay's body, but the beads are in a different order. In Dee, those beads send out commands to run and fetch. In Ennay, the beads are quiet, so Ennay does not show much interest in tennis balls.
You fly over to another bit of string. Here you see seven beads. Your friends over in Ennay's body tell you they see the same beads there, but again in Ennay's body the beads are in a different order. These seven beads are sending out commands telling Ennay to herd. In Dee's body, the beads are quiet, so he doesn't feel like herding.
These bits of string are called "chromosomes." The bunches of beads that cause fetching or herding are called "genes."
You could fly to all 78 pieces of string and observe all the beads. That would take a long time – there are hundreds of thousands of beads in a dog's body.
Learning More, Solving Mysteries
Unfortunately, there are no ships that can take us inside a dog's cells. Scientists do the next best thing. Using powerful microscopes, they observe the strings and beads. Scientists "listen" to the commands the beads give, learning how those commands change a dog's appearance or behavior. The beads speak a foreign language, and it's a giant puzzle figuring out what all the words mean.
Mark Neff is a geneticist at the University of California at Davis. His job is to look at those millions of beads and learn the language of the commands. There is so much information – so many beads and so many commands – it is difficult work. "These are what lead a dog to have small spots or large spots, whether a dog has some white fur or a lot of white fur," Dr. Neff explains. "However, even something as simple as fur color turns out to be very complicated."
Those beads do not only cause colors and behaviors. Sometimes their commands make dogs sick. If Dr. Neff and other scientists can figure out which beads send out unhealthy commands, they might be able to tell the beads to stop, or make the beads send out healthy commands instead.
To figure out which beads are sending out harmful commands, scientists look until they see one pattern that always shows up in sick dogs and a different pattern in healthy dogs. It is like a giant puzzle.
Some puzzles have been solved. For example, scientists figured out which beads send commands that make dogs blind. They zoom into the cells and see if the dog has the beads telling the dog to be blind. Scientists can tell people not to breed two dogs that have the blindness beads. That prevents puppies from being blind.
There are hundreds of other illnesses to figure out. With every illness, scientists have to start their detective work all over again, looking again at all those millions of beads.
Even with powerful new computers and microscopes, Dr. Neff says, "It's very exciting, but we really don't understand how it all works yet."
We Need Kids!
In the future, scientists may figure out what every one of those beads does. They will be able to stop many illnesses that harm dogs. Dr. Neff and other scientists are hoping that kids will study and become scientists ready to solve the puzzles.
As Dr. Neff says, "It's not at all simple, but everything comes down to genes. There is so much left to study, so much for kids to understand. There are some very basic things about biology we still need to know. Kids can be the ones to help us figure it all out."
Today's Class – Mush!
Imagine if your school day went like this: History, English, Science...Dog Sledding! That's right, a class where you play with dogs, run with them outside, pet them, and feed them. In the winter time, you ride on sleds as the dogs pull you through the snow. You get an A in the class if you take care of the dogs, learn about them and connect with them, and race really fast. Does this sound too good to be true?
Well, kids in Tuluksak, Alaska, actually have a dog-sledding class. Mike Wood is the teacher. His class has students aged 12 to 17. Their classroom is outside, where 20 dogs are ready and waiting. When the dogs see the students, they go wild, jumping and howling with joy. "These are really nice dogs," Mr. Wood says. "But they have a lot of energy. When the kids come in, the dogs pull at their coat sleeves. Not because they're aggressive, but just to get their attention."
Martin Buser raises Alaskan Huskies. He helped start the dog-sledding class by donating a litter of puppies to the school a few years ago. He laughs and says, "The dogs can be a handful sometimes. But my dogs are very friendly. It's just that they want to race for a living!"
Why would a school have a sledding class? In Alaska, the parents and grandparents of the students used to have sled dogs as part of their everyday lives. They used to take care of the dogs and were deeply connected with the dogs. But today a lot of kids in Alaska don't know much about sledding. Teachers were unhappy about this and spoke to Mr. Buser. That's when Mr. Buser decided to give some of his dogs to the school. "This program connects the older generation with the younger generation," he explains.
In Alaska, there are lots of dog races. One of these races is the Junior Iditarod, which happens every year in late February. It's 150 miles long, and young racers (called "mushers") go out and compete with teams of dogs. The mushers are all under 17 years old, and they come from around the world to race in the Junior Iditarod. Each year, one of the students from Tuluksak is chosen to enter the race with the school's dog team.
But the Junior Iditarod is a long way off. Before then, the students and the dogs have a lot of training to do. Early in the school year, when there is no snow on the ground, Mr. Wood teaches some basic knowledge about dogs. "The kids learn about nutrition," Mr. Wood says. This is important, because the students need to know how calories in dog food provides energy to burn during a race. The best high-energy food for a sled dog is fish and rice. But you can't find dog food like this in stores, so students in Mr. Wood's class learn how to make the food themselves. They get fish from markets and cook it together with rice, then serve it to the dogs.
As the weather turns colder, students get a chance to hook the dogs up to a sled and do practice runs. They start off with wheels on the sled. But it's not as easy as it sounds. The first time they do this, the dogs are jumping in different directions, pulling all over the place, and bumping into each other. Some of the dogs don't get along and fight. How do you get the dogs to all run in the same direction? Mr. Wood teaches right from the beginning how to be patient, and how to be confident. Students learn how to be leaders, so the dogs will listen to them.
Little by little, each day, as students learn to get the dogs to listen, the dogs pull the sled faster and faster. Everyone comes together as a team. But they are still a while away from the race!
In November, there is some snow on the ground. Now there are longer races with the dogs, without the wheels. Students also practice the commands. They yell "gee" when they want the dogs to turn right and "haw" when they want the dogs to turn left. "These are the same commands used in the real races," Mr. Wood says. The dogs are learning what each command means, and students are learning how to say it clearly, with confidence. It's one of the most exciting feelings when the dogs listen and turn on command while the sled is racing through the snow.
Everyone is having a lot of fun. But sometimes, there is some dirty work. "Every day, we have poop detail!" Mr. Wood explains. Students are responsible for keeping the dog houses clean, which means heading out with pooper scoopers. They also check each dog's fur and clip each dog's nails. "The kids are learning how to really take care of a dog," Mr. Wood says. "They learn to see every detail. With sled dogs, you can't leave anything out." Mr. Wood says the dogs don't like having their nails clipped or their fur brushed. But this is another lesson in leadership. "The kids learn that with the right attitude, the dog will let them do these things," Mr. Wood explains.
December and January rolls around. Students see what winter is like with the dogs. They come in on Monday morning. It's freezing cold, wet, and dark. But it doesn't matter. They still must get out there and take care of the dogs. "They learn responsibility," Mr. Wood says. "I tell my students, even if it's 20 degrees and snowing, those dogs have to eat. They are depending on you!"
The team is working out great. The dogs race faster and listen to commands, and the dogs are all healthy. Students know that this is all because of their patience and hard work. Now it's time to pick the Junior Iditarod team. Mr. Wood has a difficult decision. He has several terrific students in his class. But a rule of the Junior Iditarod is that only one musher is allowed to race. "The kid who shows the most initiative gets to be musher," Mr. Wood says. In 2006, that was Robert Tikium. He was 16 years old when he was chosen to be Tuluksak's musher.
Robert says it was an amazing feeling to race with the dogs, and he felt a close connection with them. "When I finished the race," he says, "I got down on the ground and I talked to the dogs. I just kept saying, 'Good dogs, good dogs.' They were really excited when they finished the race." Everyone in the school and the town was also excited. They all came out to congratulate Robert on his achievement.
Mr. Buser says that everyone can learn some of the same lessons as the students in Tuluksak. "If you learn to take care of another being, you'll also learn to take care of your fellow human. It all fits together nicely."
Robert Tikium plans to keep sledding as he gets older. But he will never forget the dogs he raced with at Tuluksak. "The Junior Iditarod is a long, cold race," he says with a laugh. "But it was a lot of fun. The dogs taught me a lot about working hard and going long ways together. They really got to know me. We were a team."
Become a Researcher!
The scientist is alone at night in his dark laboratory. Outside is a fierce thunderstorm. Lightening flashes through the windows. The scientist mixes chemicals together in two test tubes. Suddenly, his concoction explodes and he laughs, screaming "Eureka!"
This might make an interesting scene for a science-fiction movie. But it is not at all what it is like being a real scientist. Just ask Dr. Michael Kent. He is a veterinary researcher at the University of California at Davis.
Yes, he does spend time alone in his lab. As he puts it, "There are days when you are onto something really interesting and you just work in the lab." But most of the time, Dr. Kent's job has much more variety. "As a researcher, no two days are ever the same!" Dr. Kent says.
Even when Dr. Kent spends time in the lab, he is not just doing it to mix chemicals together. He is doing it to learn more about dogs, so he can help dogs have happier and healthier lives.
Dog "Patients" and Their Human Families
Dr. Kent devotes a lot of his time to meeting and getting to know lots of different dogs. He calls these dogs his "patients." They are his inspiration for becoming a researcher. "Whether I'm in the lab, or whether one of my patients is sick, I have to figure out a problem," Dr. Kent says. "It's a big puzzle, and I have to put all the pieces together to help my patients. This makes my work very interesting."
One piece of that puzzle is checking the dog's health, like a doctor. Dr. Kent also gets information about the dog's history. To do that, Dr. Kent listens to what the dog owners tell him. This gives him a couple of pieces to the puzzle. Then he is ready to work in the lab. Perhaps he looks at something under a microscope. Maybe he does some reading about the dog's illness. He might speak to another researcher, to share opinions.
Dr. Kent takes everything he learned in the lab and pieces it together with the information he heard from the owners. Now Dr. Kent has a plan, and he is ready to treat the dog. But first he meets with the dog's owners again. Dr. Kent tells the owners what he discovered in the lab and why he thinks his plan will help their dog. The owners are the ones who decide what to do for their dog, so all the scientific knowledge in the world cannot help a dog unless the owners see why it is important.
Dr. Kent's goal now is to help the owners understand the science, so they are more likely to follow his advice. To to that, he tries to make the owners feel comfortable about everything he is telling them. "I want people to know what we're doing is safe," Dr. Kent explains, "and that we would never do any harm to the dogs. Researchers have to be able to talk to families so they see this. Without that, you can't make good use of the science."
Veterinarians of the Future
Dr. Kent has another mission. It takes place in classrooms with hundreds of students. "One of the most exciting parts of being a researcher is teaching veterinary students," he says. "These are the young people who will one day treat animals. They take my ideas and go even further than I do."
When Dr. Kent was a kid, he loved dogs and cats. He was also fascinated about what makes things work. He puts those two ideas together as a researcher. "When I was in school, I realized that the only way we'll ever find causes of diseases, and fix them, is to do research. I wanted to be one of those people who figures out how to fix them."
This is an exciting time for kids who love dogs and want to become researchers. There are many new discoveries to be made in the future, and kids are the ones who will do it. It used to just be boys who studied science. "But now there are so many more girls interested in veterinary science," Dr. Kent says. "That's really great."
If you think being a researcher sounds exciting, here is a suggestion. Go on the Web, and search for "veterinary college." There are 28 veterinary colleges in the United States. Most of them offer free tours. Kids come to the college, speak with the researchers, ask questions, and get an idea of what it might be like to study there. "You can check the colleges out and decide which one you like most," Dr. Kent explains.
You don't have to wait until you are college age to do a tour. Dr. Kent often meets with young people who are considering going to the University of California. This is another exciting part of being a researcher!
Always Learning
There is one more interesting part of being a researcher. Many times during the year, researchers gather together in big meetings called conferences. These take place around the world. During conferences, researchers discuss new discoveries for helping dogs – their patients. "You get to tell people about your work, and you hear about their work," Dr. Kent says. "That way, we all advance the science even more."
Being a researcher is a satisfying job. To get there, you have to work hard. "For kids who want to go to vet school, it's important to spend time reading and learning," Dr. Kent advises. "Keep your grades up. But don't just memorize things. Learn what it all means and think about solving problems. That's the first step towards becoming a researcher."
All that hard work is worth it. "When I have patients who are sick," Dr. Kent says, "and I do something that makes them better, those are the best moments in my life. That's exactly why we do research – so patients can go home healthy and be together with their families."
Animals Are My Paradise
This dog is out of control!
The owner's used to walk Max downtown, but he growled and bared his teeth every time they came close to anyone, and if another dog approached – forget about it. So they stopped taking Max outside. Now they can't even have guests in their house because Max scares everyone. They love Max, but this problem is getting worse. What can they do?
The owners call Cesar Millan, also known as "The Dog Whisperer." Cesar makes a visit to the home. He walks in, sits with the owners on the couch. He listens carefully as the owners describe Max's scary behavior.
Cesar stands up and says "It's time to meet Max."
The owners go into the next room. They come out with Max on a tight leash, growling and baring his teeth.
Cesar tells them it's OK to let go of Max's leash.
"Are you sure?" both owners ask. Cesar tells them again to let go of the leash.
The owners drop the leash. Cesar goes right up to Max, cool and confident, standing tall, calm, and steady. His eyes are focused on Max's face.
"I can't watch," one of the owners says, covering her eyes.
Max sniffs Cesar's shirt. Instead of growling and baring his teeth, Max sits. Cesar moves closer. Slowly, Max sniffs Cesar's hand and arms. Max's eyes follow Cesar. His whole body is relaxed.
Cesar takes Max's leash and walks back towards the owners. Max follows behind like a puppy, then curls up quietly at Cesar's feet.
"I can't believe it!" one owner says.
Cesar sits with the owners and describes some simple steps they can take to make sure Max is like this all the time. The owners follow Cesar's advice. Pretty soon, they are going downtown with Max. They can invite people over their house without worries. Max is a great dog!
You can watch Cesar in action on his TV show, which appears weekly on The National Geographic Channel. He travels the country, walks into homes with all sorts of troubled dogs – Boxers, Chihuahuas, Pugs, Labs, Poodles, and every mix you can imagine. No matter what the problem, Cesar understands the dog's thoughts, the dog's feelings.
Cesar is known as a dog trainer. But he never went to school to learn about dogs. He grew up on a ranch in Mexico, in a very poor family, where he spent time with all kinds of animals. He just had a natural connection with them.
"From the very beginning, animals were extremely important to me," Cesar says. "I loved moving with the pigs and chickens and birds on the ranch. I didn't care about getting muddy and dirty. To me, as long as I was with the animals, it was paradise."
Cesar learned that he can have a great relationship with animals if he "whispers" to them, instead of yelling at them. "I always heard them," he says. "I never worked against Mother Nature. I had this ability to just be with the animals. I wanted to gain their trust and respect, so they would gain mine. I never ask them to do anything for me I'm not ready to do for them."
For Cesar, dogs were the most special of all animals. "Dogs are the closest thing we have to Mother Nature that we are allowed to live with," he says.
If you want to become a good trainer, Cesar says, try seeing things from the dog's perspective. Think about how dogs experience the world. "Humans are all about eyes first. But dogs are nose, then ears, then eyes. If the dog can't smell you, they don't know who you are. When a dog wants to smell you, let them do it, let them finish. Then they know you, they know your energy."
By doing this, Cesar says, you are becoming a "pack leader." You are allowing the dog to come towards you. The dog wants to listen to you, because you are calm and confident.
Watching Cesar on his TV show, you can see that he does not raise his voice, and still he is in total control. "I never create tension or fear," Cesar explains. "That would be like punishment, not leadership. That's the wrong energy."
It's not just dogs. Cesar is the kind of guy people want to listen to as well. When he was a kid, he must have been really popular, right? Absolutely not, Cesar says.
Growing up in Mexico, kids used to tease Cesar because he spent all his time with dogs. They called him "perrero," which he describes as "A nasty word for 'a guy who smells like dogs.' They were negative, but they knew I had something because packs of dogs followed me around."
Even his father could be discouraging. "He didn't want me to be a dog whisperer," Cesar explains. "He was afraid I'd be hurt if I didn't achieve my dream."
Instead of worrying about how different he was, Cesar stayed focused on his dream of becoming a dog trainer. He says kids today who want top work with dogs have a much brighter future than he had, because there are so many more opportunities.
Even with his own television show, Cesar still has big dreams. He wants to reach out all over the country to help thousands of dogs with behavioral problems. His plan is to create "dog psychology centers." These are places where dogs with behavioral problems would come in with their owners and meet a dog whisperer, just like Cesar.
If there could be hundreds of dog psychology centers, Cesar says, there would not be so many dogs in animal shelters. A lot of those shelter dogs are really wonderful pets. They just need someone to work with them, like Cesar does on "The Dog Whisperer." Just like Max.
But Cesar cannot do this by himself. He's calling on you, the reader.
"All those kids who dream of being dog trainers – we need them!" Cesar says. "We're on a journey, a mission to help the world be better to dogs. We need a lot of dog whisperers, kids who totally believe they have what it takes to make a difference."
Cesar's two boys, 8 and 12 years old, are becoming part of this mission. "But we need to have way more kids with a passion for Mother Nature," Cesar says. "I know they are out there. They're just kind of quiet right now. But together, we're going to spread this mission all over the world."