Knowing the Dog Nose

Basement Cat has been camping out in the kitchen lately, even pressing her nose up to the base of the stove. Yep, something's hiding in there, probably a mouse (which is probably getting her scent as well). Not only do cats have great eyesight and hearing, they have about 80 million smell receptors, and we only have somewhere around 5 million. Dogs have us both beat. Depending on the size of the animal, they can have 300 million smell receptors, and their ability is very intricate.

Image credit: Pixabay / Suzzamar

There are other animals that can smell and locate specific things from quite a long way off, but it's kind of tricky to ascertain the skills of wild critters. Observation seems to be the best tool. The doggerel written for evolutionism cannot adequately explain the origin of the sense of smell, how it's processed, and the variations among different creatures. It is logical to conclude that this is another of the abilities our Creator has given to his handiwork.

If you have been to an airport recently, you may have noticed an increased number of canine staff on the TSA payroll, weaving through the security lines and along the busy corridors. In the nine airports that I have been in the last six months, I have seen German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labrador Retrievers working these patrols. Beagles are another popular breed for this line of work. They are all sniffing out the scene for signs of something amiss. Depending on their training, they can be sniffing for anything from illegally imported meats to drugs to firearms. What about dogs makes them the best candidate for the job, and why these breeds of dogs?

No need to get your nose out of joint, you can finish reading the article (which has some really interesting science) by clicking on "What a Dog’s Nose Knows!" You may also like "Souped-Up Sniffers".

Dogs and other animals have been given an amazingly intricate and effective sense of smell. This is clearly another gift from our Creator to some critters in his creation.