Ellen Furlong

Animals have been a huge part of my life since day 1 -- I was named after a dog, my first word was my dog's name, and one of my earliest memories was of seeing a gorilla in a zoo. When I was 9 I started training the family dog, a terrier mix named Coco, and when I was 13 I added a second dog to the mix, Sassy, a cocker spaniel. I quickly became fascinated at how different they were to train. For example, even though Coco was objectively smarter, it took her three years to learn to lay down while it took Sassy a matter of days. Coco was stubborn and independent. Sassy's only thought was how to please. That summer, the year I was 14, I sat at the pool while all my friends were swimming and playing, and made a list of all the questions I had about how dogs think. To this day I'm still working on that list. The exciting thing, however, is that now, as a professor, I get to answer those questions. I have the best job ever.

January 2016