The Nicholberry Dispatch

Canine brain atrophy and the dark side of human ingenuity

BOOK NEWS

The book signing fundraiser for First Responder Therapy Dogs in Santa Barbara was every bit as wonderful as I’d hoped. How extraordinary to spend an afternoon discussing the ways we can be most effective in supporting our first responder community (and also the ways we humans can most lovingly raise our dogs). I often feel like Puppy Brain has enabled me to see the best of humanity, and that was certainly true of our day in Santa Barbara. (And btw, she doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to ask

Christy Warren

to do a future Nicholberry Conversations, as she offers some crucial insights for those of us doing therapy work in the first responder community).

In case you missed the Santa Barbara recap, you can see it here (and the Clovis one here).

Events

Santa Monica, California

July 15^th 6pm - (Free) Ticket Required

I’m thrilled to be returning to Zibby’s Bookshop with fellow Celadon writer Kristin Koval (Penitence). We will of course discuss our books, but also the overlap between them, including the forgiveness we each reference. We are both retired lawyers who have found a second act in writing, and we both love dogs. It’s going to be such a fun conversation. Please join us, and get your (free) tickets now. Last year we sold out!

Get your tickets HERE.

East Coast

Rockport MA, Boston MA, Exeter NH, and Bedford, NY are all coming - stay tuned here!

SOMETHING TO WATCH

Inside the Colosseum: Prepare to be Astonished

Look, you were warned when you subscribed to this newsletter that rabbit holes would be part of your reading. Thus, this link. I am a history nerd and am fascinated by things like how an ancient people built an engineering wonder like the Colosseum. Finished in just eight years, it accommodated 50,000 spectators, stood taller than the Statue of Liberty, and permitted naval battles like those depicted in the most recent Gladiator movie (which, personally, got two thumbs down from me, but we’ll save that for a future edition). I’m captivated by the genius behind the design, but just as struck by the horror that it was built for such inhumane purposes. It’s a powerful, unsettling symbol of what we, as humans, are capable of — at both our best and our worst.

SOMETHING TO READ

Behavioral Enrichment Reduces Canine Brain Atrophy

Aging canine brains show significant similarities to aging human brains and as such, are valuable for testing treatments for diseases such as Alzheimers. As this particular article from the Journal of Neuroscience reveals, researchers studied middle-aged dogs to better understand brain aging. The study included a behavioral enrichment paradigm that consisted of daily exercise, socialization, cognitive testing, rotating toys, and free play. The remarkable discovery? While most brain regions shrink with age, the hippocampus actually expanded over time. Not only do these findings support the importance of modifiable lifestyle factors for humans, but for our dogs as well.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

“The highest form of knowledge is empathy” - Unknown

SOMETHING TO LOVE