Jane Goodall Reflects On How A Childhood Dog Changed The Way She Saw Animals

“Rusty, I’ve never known a dog like him,” the famed primatologist said, remembering her beloved canine companion.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jane-goodall-childhood-dog_n_66082d30e4b06d4ea5c61fb3

By Hilary Hanson

Mar 30, 2024, 12:58 PM EDT

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Iconic primatologist Jane Goodall changed how the world sees chimpanzees ― but one of her biggest influences was a dog.

The trailblazing scientist’s years of research, beginning in 1960 in Tanzania, won her international acclaim and played a pivotal role in the world’s understanding of animal intelligence.

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But Goodall, now 89, told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday that she remembered a point in her career when the prevailing scientific establishment told her she had “done everything wrong.”

She recalled being told, “Chimps shouldn’t be named, they should be numbered. You can’t talk about their personalities. You can’t talk about them having brains capable of solving problems. And you certainly can’t talk about them having emotions.”

It was the memory of her childhood dog, Rusty, that gave her the conviction her critics were wrong.

“My dog Rusty, when I was a child, taught me that was absolute piffle,” she said. “Balderdash. Rubbish.”

Jane Goodall in 2022.
Jane Goodall in 2022.

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Rusty was a neighborhood dog who belonged to a nearby hotel, but he would come over to her family’s home and spent most of his time with them.

It was like the canine had been “sent” to her by a higher power, she said, reminiscing, “Rusty, I’ve never known a dog like him.”

However, she admitted, “any dog” likely would have made a similar impression.

“We all know that [dogs] can be happy, sad, fearful and that they’re highly intelligent,” she said.

Goodall has spoken about Rusty in the past, and her latest remarks echo similar comments she’s made about what people can learn from their relationships with the animals in their lives.

“You cannot share your life in a meaningful way with a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a rat, a bird, a horse, a pig, I don’t care, and not know that they have emotions similar to ours and that they have minds that can sometimes solve problems,” she told Vox in a 2021 interview.

And while she’s best known for her work with chimpanzees, the primatologist hasn’t been shy about revealing her true favorite animal.

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“My favorite animal, altogether, is a dog,” she said in a 2015 video published by the Jane Goodall Institute. “Because dogs have taught me so much, and are so faithful and give unconditional love, and I don’t like to think of a world without dogs.”

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Grizzlies in the North Cascades and Bird Flu Found in Cattle

Monday Apr 1st, 2024 39 Views The Agribusiness Update

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https://www.aginfo.net/report/59326/The-Agribusiness-Update/Grizzlies-in-the-North-Cascades-and-Bird-Flu-Found-in-Cattle

Bob Larson

From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.

**The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife released an environmental impact statement on options to restore grizzlies in the North Cascades of Washington state.

The agencies say the last grizzly sighting in the North Cascades was in 1996.

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington says farmers are worried and the Interior Department is shutting out his constituents’ voices.

The NCBA and Public Lands Council have “condemned” the plan.

**The USDA, the FDA, and the CDC announced the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in cattle, primarily older cows in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico.

It’s the first time Bird Flu has been found in dairy cattle and only the second time the virus has been detected in a ruminant animal.

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**Prop 12 is already raising the price of pork in California after going into effect last summer.

Data from the USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist shows pork sales have dropped across the state.

The OCE found prices for pork products affected by Prop 12, including loins, ribs, and bellies, have averaged 20% higher in California than before July 1st when the initiative was partially implemented.

Letter: Iowa shouldn’t subsidize animal cruelty

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Don’t make me pay for killing raccoons

This year’s raccoon bounty bill (HF 2665) is state sanctioned and taxpayer subsidized animal cruelty. The legislation’s goal is to incentivize the trapping, clubbing and skinning of raccoons. Lawmakers in committees on the bill have said the fur trapping industry is hurting because of low sales. They also say that raccoons are eating too much corn.

The estimated cost of this farce is $860,000 a year. If someone wants fewer raccoons on his farm, he already has the legal ability to do what he wants. He can already hire a trapper. I shouldn’t have to pay for it. The state legislature has an opportunity to say no to nonsense like this. The bill should be tabled and shouldn’t even be given a chance for a vote. But when it does inevitably get called the floor, our state representatives should reject it. Please contact your legislators and tell them to vote no!

Lynn Gallagher

Solon, Iowa