Anatomy Is Weird

What’s Wrong With Your Dog?

If you share your home with a dog (as much of our community does), you know the drill. You are lying in bed, just about to drift off, and suddenly you get a stiff leg right to the kidneys. Or you are giving them a good scratch, and their back leg starts revving up like a motorcycle engine.

We usually just laugh it off as dogs being dogs. But there are actually distinct reasons for these kicks depending on when they happen. It isn't just random energy.

Here is a breakdown of why those legs keep flying.

The "Bed Hog" Kick This is the one I hear about most. You are asleep, and your dog stretches out, extending their back legs straight into your side or back.

While it feels like they are just trying to push you out of bed, it is usually a sign of trust and comfort. Dogs are tactile creatures. When they extend their legs to make contact with you, it’s a way of checking in. They are seeking resistance against their paws to feel grounded and secure. It’s basically a way of saying, "I am relaxed because I can feel you are right there."

It is annoying at 3 AM, but it comes from a place of affection.

The "Sweet Spot" Thump We have all found that one spot on a dog’s belly or side that triggers the rapid-fire leg kick. It looks like they are enjoying the scratch so much they can’t control themselves.

Technically, they can't. This is called the scratch reflex. It is an involuntary reaction, exactly like when a doctor taps your knee with that little hammer. The nerves under the skin send a message to the spinal cord that something is irritating the skin (even if it’s a friendly hand), and the spinal cord tells the leg to kick to get rid of the "itch."

They aren't necessarily trying to kick you away, but their body is running on autopilot.

The "Lawnmower" Kick Then there is the classic move after they do their biz outside, where they kick dirt backward with serious intensity. It’s kinda like a dog version of Footloose or Fame.

As I mentioned before, this is all about communication. Dogs have scent glands in their paw pads. By tearing up the ground, they are leaving a visual mark (the disturbed earth) and a chemical mark (pheromones) to tell the next dog exactly who walked by. It is mostly posturing.

So when you get a paw to the ribs next or see the dirt flying, just know it’s not personal. It’s mostly just reflexes and biology doing the talking (although I’d still like to think of it as Footloose).

Sophisticated, indeed: Cut the crap
Several names: I can see why it may be confusing
Say cheese: I can only imagine

Culture

Look in the mirror and you might notice something kind of funny: earlobes are weird.

They’re just these little fleshy flaps hanging off the side of our heads. They don't have muscle, they don't have cartilage, and they don't really do anything. If you wiggle your ears (if you can), the lobe just sort of dangles there along for the ride.

So I dug into the science to see if I was missing something and it seems like biology is just as confused as I am.

Here is the lowdown on why you have them.

The "Leftover Architecture" Theory The leading theory is that earlobes are what scientists call a "spandrel."

In architecture, a spandrel is that roughly triangular space between the top of an arch and the ceiling. It wasn't designed on purpose; it just exists because you can’t have a round arch in a square wall without leaving some extra space.

Evolutionary biologists (like the famous Stephen Jay Gould) think earlobes are the same thing. As our jaws and ear canals formed, gravity and skin tension just left a little bit of extra material hanging at the bottom. It’s basically a biological typo that stuck around because it didn’t hurt anyone.

The "Blood Radiator" Theory While they might be accidents, your body tries to make use of them.

Earlobes are packed with blood vessels but have no cartilage. Some researchers believe this helps with thermoregulation. Because they have so much surface area exposed to the air, they might act like little radiators to help cool down your blood when you're hot, or warm up the outer ear when it's cold.

It’s a weak theory—they aren't exactly big enough to cool your whole body down—but it’s a possibility. Mine haven’t done a lick for me this winter in the Northeast.

The "Desmond Morris" Theory Then there is the theory from zoologist Desmond Morris. He suggested that because earlobes are packed with nerve endings, they evolved specifically to be an erogenous zone.

The idea is that as humans evolved to form tight pair bonds, we needed more ways to show affection than just grooming each other for lice (ugh). A sensitive spot that serves no other survival function might have stuck around purely for social bonding.

The Verdict Right now, the "accident" theory holds the most water. Humans, chimps, and gorillas are the only ones with them. Most other mammals just have ears that go straight into the head.

So, in the end, your earlobes are likely just useless souvenirs from your evolutionary road trip. But hey, at least they give us a place to hang sunglasses when we’re leaning over and an excuse to accessorize.

Chuckle

The fib is C. The "Gravity" Illusion means that your grandpa’s ears look huge not because they kept growing, but because they gave up. Earlobes don't actually grow cartilage as you age; they just lose collagen and succumb to gravity, stretching out over the years.

What did you think of this week's Fido Fly newsletter?
Your feedback helps us to create exactly what you want.

Was this forwarded to you? Sign up to receive your own weekly copy. It’s free to subscribe.

Looking for previous editions of Fido Fly? They are all safely stored here.