Speaker : Dr Stan Coren

Our speaker, Dr. Stan Coren, an erudite, well-published & well-known professor of Psychology at UBC was introduced by Dr. Muriel Groves. In "Paws of History", he presented us with a very entertaining overview, supported by colour slides, of how pet dogs have changed history. A salient example is an incident in which Alexander the Great's dog, Peritas saved his life in Persia by biting the lower lip of a war elephant whose Persian rider was attacking Alexander while his horse was beset. If Alexander had died at that early stage in his campaign of military conquest, the Greek influence in the Middle East & central Asia would not have existed, the Holy Bible would not have been written in Greek, thus, possibly, it would not have had the influence on European culture & religions that it has had. Thank you, Peritas! Dr. Coren had many other interesting anecdotes about people throughout history & their dogs from Mary, Queen of Scots & Robert the Bruce to Richard Wagner, Eugene O'Niell, Winston Churchill & Harry Truman. Our conclusion? Dogs make wonderful companions for people, are excellent therapists & stress-reducers. Thank you for the "paws that refreshes," Dr. Coren. Meeting was adjourned around 1:30pm. Meeting notes taken this week by Harreson Lovick