Animal Friends

Dog breeds get stereotypes. There’s the well-heeled, intelligent border collie or the good-natured, but not-so-bright golden retriever. Jennifer Holland’s new book, Dog Smart digs into what we actually know about dog intelligence. And: In recent years, honeybee-keeping has seen an impressive increase in the U.S. The rising numbers means more beekeepers are concerned with viruses that threaten hives. Wei-Fone Huang is studying honey bee pathogens and hopes to find novel solutions to fight them. Later in the show: If you grew up with pets, you probably had a local vet who saw every pet in town. Vets offices used to be pretty mom and pop. Lisa Scott says that these days, they’re way more specialized and operate a lot closer to the way human medicine does, with vet techs–like nurses–doing a lot of the work. Plus: Pet ownership is up and it’s getting harder and harder to find medical care for beloved animal friends. Megan Taliaferro explains why there’s a shortage in veterinary care and how she’s working to address it. Megan Taliaferro was named an Outstanding Faculty member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.