The sources behind every video

Interviews with people experiencing homelessness and the providers who serve them. It describes experiences, not national rates.

96 to 98% of pet owners would not give up their pet for better housing, yet 31% of housed owners said unhoused people should not have pets.

398 homeless youth in Los Angeles. Pet owners were less lonely and depressed, but nearly half said their pet made staying in a shelter harder.

Four years of a Seattle clinic that treats young people and their pets together. 85% of human patients came back for follow-up care.

441 extremely fearful dogs at the ASPCA rehab center: 86% graduated and 99% of graduates were adopted. One program, no comparison group.

DNA tests on 919 dogs at two shelters found 125 breeds and only 4.9% purebreds.

National shelter intake and outcome counts. These are estimates from shelters that report data.

About 2 million dogs adopted and 320,000 euthanized a year, roughly six adoptions for every dog euthanized.

Why people give up pets. For renters, housing was the top reason.

A modeling paper showing shelter behavior tests are poor predictors, so many dogs who fail them would likely do fine in a home.

99 adopted dogs followed for six months. Owners reported plenty of rough patches and high satisfaction. Opt-in sample.

Pet store puppies scored worse than small-breeder puppies on 12 of 14 behavior measures.

The honest counterpoint: relinquished dogs did score worse on behavior, on average, than matched pet dogs.

The announcement itself. It is a plan to propose rules, not a new rule.

The current federal rule. Housing a dog alone in twice the minimum space can count as exercise.

USDA's request for public input that came before the 2027 proposal.

764 dogs at one Missouri shelter under a pit bull ban. After matching dogs by weight, the euthanasia gap was no longer significant, but adoption delays remained. One shelter, visual breed ID.

Compares dog bite ER visits in Missouri towns with and without breed bans.

11,224 older adults in Japan: current dog owners had about half the odds of disabling dementia. Owners were healthier and less isolated to begin with.

A natural experiment from an Australian renters' pet law: getting a pet had no effect on life satisfaction, loneliness or mental health.

26 long-term studies across 21 countries: the evidence is mixed.

19,732 dogs: owners in more disadvantaged areas reported less dog walking. Owner-reported, not measured.

21,410 dogs: social support predicted dog health about five times more strongly than money did.

3,044 Golden Retrievers: area-level factors linked to exercise. One breed, US only, and the models are weak.

In Alabama, places short on doctors were also short on vets.

The wolf researcher who popularized "alpha" showing wild packs are families led by parents, not fights for rank.

The vet behavior society recommends reward-based training over dominance methods.

151 behavior-linked variants tested in over 3,000 dogs. None reliably predicted an individual dog's behavior.

Over 14,000 dogs: genetics explain a lot of the difference between breed averages, not individual dogs.

The health screenings each breed club recommends before breeding. Ask breeders for these by name.

Pairs of pet dogs coordinated on the cooperative choice in only 5% of trials. One lab task, small sample.

The wolf researcher who popularized "alpha" showing wild packs are families led by parents, not fights for rank.

The vet behavior society recommends reward-based training over dominance methods.

A perspective paper on sampling bias in canine science. An argument about method, not one experiment.

Introduced the STRANGE framework for bias in animal research samples.

The original WEIRD critique of human psychology research.

A big-team science group testing dogs across many countries at once.

783 vets; about 42% scored above a clinical risk line. A survey snapshot, not cause and effect.

Peer support for veterinary professionals. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

43 dogs in a lab. Smelling an emotion is not the same as understanding it.

Dogs picked out the smell of a stressed person from breath and sweat samples. Small sample of dogs.

447 people in China, one survey. Shows a link, not proof of cause.

Students from pet-owning homes scored higher on animal empathy and welfare attitudes.

About 1,900 dog and 1,800 cat owners. A snapshot survey, and what they measured explained only about 26% of the difference.

A review of 15 years of research, not a new experiment.

A review about why the bond works, not proof a dog fixes anything.

Mutual gazing raised oxytocin in both dogs and owners.

A national report, not a peer-reviewed study.

5,517 UK puppies from 2019 and 2020. Owner survey, UK only.

Senate bill text and status.

House bill text and status.

The AKC's case against the bill.

Local advocates doing the work on the ground.

Critique of Western campaigns against the Yulin festival.

Reporting on how outside outrage may backfire.

Background on the festival.

Fact-check of the Springfield, Ohio claim.

History of the anti-Asian trope.

Analysis of how the trope is used.

Lower-income clients rated their pets' quality of life about the same as wealthier owners. Self-report survey.

Housing and vet costs drive many surrenders.

One shelter in Portugal, so exact numbers will not map onto the US.

US shelter data, including higher euthanasia risk for dark-coated dogs.

Early case series behind the thyroid association.

Many primary-care hypothyroid diagnoses may not hold up.

The hypothesis behind "adrenal overload." A review, not proof.

One of the studies tested on the adrenal question.

Its findings do not line up with the adrenal overload claim.

Background on Addison's disease in dogs.

Breed prevalence data that contradicts a large-breed Addison's epidemic.

Breed risk data for hypoadrenocorticism.

Breed and heritability data for Addison's disease.

164 teams, mostly working dogs in rural communities, so it speaks to the roots of the bond.

A dog's job (working or companion) shapes how people treat it.

About 55,000 patients, looking back at records. Matched only on age and sex, so healthy-user bias is likely.

Dog owners had lower overall mortality, but the analyses were not adjusted for confounders.

Why who owns pets matters when reading pet health studies.

Higher resistance where there were fewer vets. Exploratory, so it shows a link, not a cause.

Where USDA has designated veterinary shortage areas.

Reporting on pet wellness influencers and raw food marketing.

Well-socialized puppies are less likely to become fearful or aggressive adults.

105 puppies: testers agreed, but seven weeks was too early to predict adult temperament.

Poorly socialized early environments were linked to more aggression toward people later. Puppy class results were mixed.