A new study has uncovered a unique link between smell and sight in dogs.
Researchers at Cornell University are now further investigating how dogs may 'see' with their nose due to neurological connections between where smells and sights are recognised.
This may be why blind dogs can function remarkably well compared to other animals and humans, according to the researchers, because in a sense they can still see through smells.
Pip Johnson, lead author and assistant professor of clinical sciences at Cornell University, said: "We've never seen this connection between the nose and the occipital lobe, functionally the visual cortex in dogs, in any species".
Looking at MRI scans of the brains of 23 dogs, a connection was found between the olfactory bulb, where smells are recognised, and their occipital lobe, where vision is processed.
"When we walk into a room, we primarily use our vision to work out where the door is, who's in the room, where the table is," Johnson said.
"Whereas in dogs, this study shows that olfaction is really integrated with vision in terms of how they learn about their environment and orient themselves in it."
They also looked at where the brain processes memory and emotion, which was found to be similar to those in humans.
The researchers now want to further investigate the link between scent and sight, to see if there was possibly a similar link when humans were more ape-like and scent-oriented.
They also want to look at significant variations that may not have been explored yet in other animals.
Pip Johnson has also said that she hopes the research offers some positive news to owners of blind dogs or dogs that are going blind, as they can still see the world in their own way.
She said: "Knowing there's that information freeway going between those two areas could be hugely comforting to owners of dogs with incurable eye diseases."
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