Canine Social Media

Story and Photos by Mary Terra-Berns

As soon as my dogs and I are out the door every day, usually before the sun is up, their noses are a nanometer off the ground, analyzing what you might call the social media posts left during the night.

Knowing how much time I spend on interesting posts, I try not to hurry them on our walk in the outskirts of Coeur d’Alene when an intriguing message requires a few extra minutes for them to review. Think Sniffchat or Nosebook.

As I watch my dogs (both rescues: a German shepherd and German shepherd/Labrador mix) zigzag along the road, I know they’re analyzing who travelled through their neighborhood and what stories they left.

Each message left strategically along the road by the night-shift receives a few minutes of intense nasal scrutiny. One particular blade of grass gets a lengthy review. What is different with this blade of grass compared to the hundreds of others around it is a mystery to me.