"In an urban setting, a fire hydrant can be a prominent landmark," Lisa Peterson, director of communications for the American Kennel Club, told Discovery News. "If a dog relieves itself there, other dogs could smell its presence 30 yards away." She also said that canines appear to emphasize height when marking with urine, with dogs "trying to pee as high as they can on fences and other objects in their environment." Like a person pumping up their chest and muscles to look big and impressive, highly placed urine could suggest the individual may not be one to reckon with. Peterson added, "That's probably why when little dogs urinate, they often lift their back leg up as high as possible -- sometimes looking as though they're nearly falling over -- because they're trying to pee as high as they possibly can." While fences, fire hydrants and other urban landmarks are usually in no danger of disappearing anytime soon, Barja worries that clear cutting of vegetation in the wild could disrupt wolf fecal marking. "It is important to maintain the vegetation of the human constructed roads in the territories of the wolves," she advised. Related Links: |
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