Dogs can sense more than just oncoming seizures. Richard Simmons, a research associate working on a project supported in part by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, told me a story about Marilyn Zuckerman of New York and her Shetland sheepdog, Tricia.

Tricia had developed the annoying habit of sniffing or nuzzling Marilyn's lower back whenever she sat down. Marilyn's husband looked and noticed that there was a dark mole in the location that Tricia seemed to be interested in. It seemed odd that the dog cared about this mole, but since it caused no discomfort, Marilyn just ignored it. One spring day, though, Marilyn was lying face down on her balcony in a bathing suit, simply enjoying the sunshine when suddenly she felt teeth on her back. It was Tricia, who apparently was trying to remove the mole.

Marilyn's husband suggested that there must be something odd about the mole if it was bothering the dog that much. More out of curiosity than anything else, Marilyn showed it to her doctor. Before the day was out, Marilyn was at the Cornell Medical Center; where the mole was diagnosed as skin cancer -- actually a virulent and potentially fatal form of melanoma. Tricia's early warning probably saved Marilyn's life.

As Simmons told me: "it was because of stories like Marilyn's that we began testing dogs' diagnostic abilities. Our preliminary data suggests that dogs can detect melanomas and several other types of cancer well before there is any other indication of a problem. Some dogs will show agitation the moment a person with cancer enters the room. It may well be that someday in the future, inspection by a dog may become a routine part of cancer screening."

Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?

Did you know that dogs can outrun an Olympic sprinter and "speak" three languages? Or that they can tell when storms are coming and even predict earthquakes before they happen? These are just a few of the doggone fascinating facts to discover in this ultimate companion book for young dog owners and admirers. World-renowned dog expert and author Dr. Stanley Coren knows our four-legged friends better than anyone, and this book is jam-packed with stories and photographs to engage and delight children.

The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events

The Pawprints of History shines a new light on a favorite subject -- the relationship between humans and their four-legged best friends. Stanley Coren, a renowned expert on dog-human interactions, has combed the annals of history and found captivating stories of how dogs have lent a helping paw and influenced the actions, decisions, and fates of well-known figures from every era and throughout the world.

As history's great figures strut across the stage, Coren guides us from the wings, adoringly picking out the canine cameos and giving every dog of distinction its day. In this unparalleled chronicle, we see how Florence Nightingale's chance encounter with a wounded dog changed her life by leading her to the vocation of nursing. We learn why Dr. Freud's Chow Chow attended all of his therapy sessions and how the life of the Fifth Dalai Lama was saved by a dog who shared his bed. Dogs have even found their way to the battlefield -- great military leaders such as Robert the Bruce and Omar Bradley have shared their lives, exploits, and gunfire with dogs. From Wagner, who admitted that one of the arias in the opera Siegfried was "written" by one of his dogs, to the dogs that inspired and lived with Presidents Lincoln, Roosevelt, Johnson, and Clinton, these loving canines do double duty as loyal pets and creative muses.

From war to art, across the spectrum of human endeavor and achievement, there often stands, not only at his side but leading the way, man's beloved "best friend." For those who believe that behind every great person is a good dog, the uplifting stories in The Pawprints of History will be a lasting delight.

How Dogs Think : Understanding the Canine Mind

With information not widely known to lay people, this lively guide also provides practical advice and wisdom that allows owners to discover the best ways to teach dogs new things, why punishment doesn't work, how a dog can actually learn to love or to fear, and how to turn that new puppy into a "perfect," emotionally sound, inquisitive, happy, and obedient dog.

Combining solid science with numerous funny, informative anecdotes and firsthand observations -- all characterized by Dr. Coren's own searching intelligence and his (and sometimes his dogs') irrepressible sense of humor -- How Dogs Think shatters many common myths and misconceptions about our four-legged friends and reveals a wealth of surprises about their mental abilities and intellectual potential.

How To Speak Dog

At long last, dogs will know just how smart their owners can be. By unlocking the secrets of the hidden language of dogs, psychologist Stanley Coren allows us into the doggy dialogue and makes two-way communication a reality. For the first time, instead of receiving an incomprehensible mash of mixed human signals, man's best friend will be treated to the proper use of dog language. Finally, effective communication can take place between canines and these "strange tall dogs" who have mystified them for so long. (Available at bookstores everywhere.)

Why We Love the Dogs We Do

"Why We Love the Dogs We Do" is Coren's newest dog book to reach best-seller status. It explores how the personality of people determines the specific dog breeds that they will love and be happiest with. It has a scientific basis, and is based on testing the personality of over 6000 people and determining the dogs they loved and hated from among the breeds that they actually lived. Based on this information he created a personality questionnaire that you can take, and the scores will tell you which dog breeds you are most likely to be happiest with. You can compare your choice of a dog to those of many celebrities and historical people. However, what endeared this book the most to dog lovers, was the extensive collection of stories of many well known people and their relationship to their dogs.

What Do Dogs Know?

"What Do Dogs Know?" which is co-authored by Jan Walker, has been called a "touchingly hilarious, fact-filled book". It is a small book with a collection of short true stories about dogs, their behaviors and their relationship to people. There is history, folklore, humour, and science all mixed together in a readable collection of dog related matter. Perhaps the most interesting aspects of the book have to do with the relationships between people and dogs.

The Intelligence of Dogs

Perhaps Coren's most popular book is "The Intelligence of Dogs." (This book went into 16 printings in hard cover, and is still briskly selling in paperback. It has also been translated into 18 languages.) This book contains a facinating description of how dogs think, their mental abilities, and the various types of dog intelligence. Perhaps one of its most controversial, but intriguing, findings, was that there are systematic and regular differences among the dog breeds in their working and obedience intelligence. These findings, and the list ranking the relative intelligence of dog breeds, became front page news in many newspapers around the world.

Sleep Thieves

"Sleep Thieves" was a startling book which pointed out the fact that as a society we are all chronically sleep deprived. For example, what do the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, the near melt down at Three Mile Island, the environmentally disastrous oil spill by the Exxon Valdez, and the loss of the NASA space shuttle Challenger all have in common? They were all caused by people who were making mistakes because they had had too little sleep. Coren not only reviews the scientific information about sleep in a lively and interesting way, but also presents some first hand interviews with people whose jobs or life style forces them to lose sleep.

The Left-hander Syndrome

Coren's first best seller was "The left-hander syndrome: the causes and consequences of left-handedness" now in paperback (Bantam Books). This best selling book was widely discussed in the media because it not only talked about the nature and origin of left-handedness, but also explored the startling research findings which suggested that left-handers may have shortened lifespans.

Much of the book, contains interesting insights about handedness and left-handers. For instance, he points out the kind of discrimination and abuse that left-handers have had over the years, and how the very words associated with the left have become negatively tinged.