Many shelters and rescue groups have had a hard time finding canines for all the human who need and want them.  As social isolation grows, frayed relationships abound and despair about the human condition intensifies, we’ve begun to turn to dogs for companionship and unconditional love.  They never seem to disappoint in the way that humans do.  I adopted again during the height of COVID after several years without a dog.  And after a rough start because of all that Lucy went through in Tennessee, once again she is my constant companion and dear friend.  However, I just have to remind anyone listening yearning for that connection that you have to be willing to put in the work.  Often we’re alone at the dog park in bad conditions–one nut and one mutt–because I feel the need to get her the exercise she needs.  It’s a daily responsibility.  In their new book “The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human-Canine Connection”, our guest Stacey Colino and her co-author Jen Golbeck provide us with great information, new research and insights into that furry friend and his or her behavioral traits that  make them so special and, at times, challenging.