Fox Talk has been shortlisted for the Benjamin Franklin Awards! *does a lap around the office, shrieking at top of lungs* When my publisher called to tell me, I was literally rendered speechless, something I don’t recall ever happening ... Read More  

One of the most interesting pieces of research I came across while writing Living With Obesity was the Marshmallow Test. Originally conducted by Walter Mischel’s team in the 1960s, the test involved young children and a simple choice: eat ... Read More  

Many dog lovers are aware of the problems with purebreds. “Pure breeding” involves mating animals with desirable characteristics within the same breed of dog, be they chihuahuas or golden retrievers. These closed gene pools lead to inbreeding, which increases ... Read More  

Three people shared this video with me on Facebook this week, and since I am sick right now, and most of my coherent thoughts are drowning in the sloshiness inside my sinuses, I’m passing it on. This fox is ... Read More  

Here’s a fun fact. When automobiles were first introduced, they were hailed as a solution to pollution – the pollution left by horses all over the streets. Here’s another one. Three types of propulsion were used for early automobiles, ... Read More  

….can anyone NOT guess exactly which word this penguin is using? http://youtu.be/rZjM97kj8Rc Today’s the launch of the Fox Talk blog tour! Visit Mother Daughter Book Reviews for the launch post, and Books Direct for my first author interview. I ... Read More  

First – apologies for the weirdness over the previous week. Hackers hit the site December 29, but since the back end was working, I didn’t realize there was a problem until I tried to post Thursday. Fortunately, I had ... Read More  

We bought our Christmas tree last weekend, and it’s been standing around in its altogether ever since, as Tech Support was out of town. But Alfie’s about to get dressed up in his best, and so we’re blasting this ... Read More  

If you’re in the Halifax area, it’s a PD day for the schools, so bring your kids! There will be snacks and a special guest dog to help me do communication demos. Should be a blast. Read More  

In Fox Talk, I describe experiments done on wolves and dogs and domestic foxes, to test their ability to understand human pointing gestures. Comparisons showed that dogs and foxes are better at using human body language, even without prior ... Read More  

Thanks so much to Crystal Garrett and the Global Morning News for inviting me to talk about foxes on the show! It was a lot of fun and over so quickly I didn’t have time to get nervous, which ... Read More  

If we’re lucky, we make a friend we can say anything to. A friend who’s seen us at our worst and inexplicably loves us still. A friend who knows where the bodies are buried, because she picked the spot ... Read More  

At least three people have sent me this video, and since it’s been a long week full of jet lag and putting out fires, I figured I would share: In case you’re wondering, the fox says whine, pant, cackle, ... Read More  

For everyone who went looking for the ebook edition of Fox Talk and couldn’t find it – first, thank you! Second, I am really sorry. The ebook was scheduled for release on October 5, but at the last minute, ... Read More  

I love travel. I love exploring new places, eating new food, and meeting new people. I firmly believe that travel is the best means of broadening horizons, experiencing new ideas, and destroying preconceived and prejudicial notions that’s available to ... Read More  

Missed the earlier instalments? Check out Part One – Riker’s Race, and Part Two – The Battery Revolution before reading today’s post.  Remember those brick-sized cell phones from movies in the 1980s? Lithium batteries are the reason we’re no longer carrying them. ... Read More  

Very excited to announce that Fox Talk is now available as an enhanced ebook! The ebook preserves the artwork and design of the paper edition, but comes with cool special features: – pop-up glossary definitions in the main text ... Read More  

The Alberta and British Columbia segments of my Fox Talk book tour are complete, and I’d like to thank everyone who hosted, supported, and came out to meet me. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to ... Read More