Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, March 3, 2018

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 3, 2018 
8JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 3, 2018 
8
PUPPY LOVE, A GIFT OF 
ALLOPARENT WIRING by Chris Leclerc
Happy Tails 

Few things incite my interest more than learning tosubsidize “puppy days” for stressed-out students duringbetter understand the relationship between human andexams, shelters arrange puppy therapy sessions for officecanine. This is likely true due to the inordinate amountworkers and hospitals invite therapy dogs in to help calmof time I spend with my four-legged furry friends, butand comfort their patients.
I also believe that anyone who’s had even a moment’sI love how Marsh describes the mystery of it all;
experience cuddling a precious pup would be interested in“Puppies are a mess. They pee everywhere. They are aunderstanding how and why it made them feel so good, orprogeny of carnivores who bite and attack millions ofwhy they felt so compelled to protect the pup from harm.people every year…So why would mere contact with

Abigail Marsh, Ph.D. is a professor of psychology with athem be a source of such universal delight that the half offocus on social and affective neuroscience at GeorgetownTwitter not lambasting Corden for insensitive treatmentUniversity. Marsh has conducted extensive researchwas wishing for consolation puppies of their own?”
related to the scientific factors that lie behind all forms The answer partly lies in what scientists have 
of human emotion, including what she refers to as ‘the discovered to be a form of human hard-wiring referred toscience of cute‘. Dr. Marsh wrote about her findings inas “alloparenting“, which translates to ‘other parenting‘. As“The Fear Factor”, a book she published in October, 2017 .part of our instincts, we humans have developed a drive

Before I go any further with this Happy Tail, I mustfor alloparenting, to ensure the survival of our species. We“paws” a moment to thank my dear friend and felloware not only wired to care for our own vulnerable babies,
Sierra Madrean, Maggie Ellis for tuning me into thisbut unlike most other animals, we are also willing to carefascinating subject through a link to a Washington Postfor babies that are not our own. 
article written by Dr. Marsh, this past week. Thanks, asHow does that relate to “puppy love”? It seems ouralways for the inspiration and for your sincere love of theinstinct for alloparenting even carries over to cute &
animals, Maggie!vulnerable youth of other species, not just that of human.

In Marsh’s Washington Post article, she mentionsThis is, in part due to the strong emotions elicited in usGrammy Award Show host, James Corden’s providing awhen we see objects that possess similar characteristics topuppy to each of the nominees who did not win an awardthose of a baby.
this year. It came as a big surprise to all, both on stage andAlso, when we touch a baby, we experience the releasein the audience. of a chemical called oxytocin in our brain, which brings on

Corden was strongly criticized by viewers who postedthe warm and fuzzy emotions we are all so familiar with.
comments in social media, basically bashing him for anWhat’s interesting is, we can have a similar experienceact they thought to be in extremely bad taste. Thingswhen we cuddle a cute puppy! The phenomenon involvescooled down when it became clear that the pups were notthe senses of both vision and touch. 
being handed over permanently, and they were not put inThe visual connection has been made through researchharms way during their brief appearance on the show. Theby use of images depicting objects having a specific set ofintention was to provide puppy love to those who didn’tphysical traits to which we humans respond favorably,
win; to encourage them in their moment of loss.which thus became the “science of cute”. Studies show we 

Personally, I think it was a sweet gesture that addedhumans respond emotionally to objects, whether animatean interesting twist to a potentially all-too-predictableor inanimate, that possess shapes, proportionate sizes andawards ceremony. Pup recipient Jerry Seinfeld was a primecolors which echo the physical characteristics of a baby.
example of how, what may have been an awkward momentFor example, an object that is rounded is more likelywith a forced smile to hide disappointment, was replacedto trigger empathy than one with sharp edges becausewith an expression of genuine delight when he looked intoa rounded shape is more similar to a baby or to a baby‘sthe face of that adorable tiny canine!face. The same goes for objects which posses similar color

“I challenge anyone to be unhappy while holding aand proportionate size (pink skin, large forehead, big eyes,
months-old, fat-pawed, sleepy-faced puppy”, says Dr.fat cheeks, etc). So the next time you look into the bigMarsh, in the article. She then recounts one of her own beautiful eyes of a fluffy puppy and you feel the urge to behappiest memories, had during a visit with her brother toit‘s mommy (or daddy), you’ll know you’ve experienceda farm in northern Scotland nearly 20 years ago.the instinctual phenomenon of alloparenting. And to that

She remembers being cold and wet and not I say, keep it up! Love and let live! 
understanding a word of what the people were sayingwith their Scottish accents - not exactly her best dayever! Then the farmer came out with five border 
collie puppies and piled them into her arms. Marshdescribed her response as “…nearly melting fromthe warmth of pure joy.” Those puppies quite literallybroke the ice and made her day.

That experience furthered Marsh’s interest 
in understanding the basis of human care andcompassion - topics that remain the focus of herresearch at Georgetown University today.

You can always count on a puppy to bring joy toone’s heart. They are so good at it that universities 


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Yogic Wisdom for 
Everyday LifeMOVE, BREATHE, CREATE 
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES 
In yoga, we 

have asana – the 

physical practice,
pranayama-- the breath practice, and meditation-the 
practice of devotion to the divine and stillness.
Interestingly, each practice can be related back to ourlife – the past, present, and future.

Asana (yoga poses) addresses our past by workingwithin the body. Have you ever heard that the bodyis a “memory bank” of our experiences? This appliesto both short-term and long-term experiences. Thestress of something that happened 20 years ago canliterally still be in the body. Day-to-day, our bodiesare continually affected by our environment as wellas what we eat and what we think. A good yoga classcan aid the body in releasing accumulated stress,
immediately and over time, as a student continuesin their practice. Think chiseling away at a beautifulsculpture or removing cobwebs from the eaves. Oncethe excess is removed, you can see clearly what’sunderneath. Our body is the same; asana clears thecobwebs and releases tension so that we can move 
freely. 

Pranayama brings us in the present moment. Youcan observe your breath in the here and now. In 
creating a rhythm with the breath, its unconsciouspattern is changed, directly affecting the presentmoment. You know this when you take intentionaldeep breaths. They can calm you down, energize you,
or create a desired effect. The breath is the first placeto go to cultivate present moment awareness

Finally, meditation addresses the future. 
Meditation is the place where stillness and onenesswith the Divine take place. Over time, this devotionwill bring authenticity and freedom to you. This isone of the best places to move forward in life andlive fully and freely. The practice of stillness has far-
reaching benefits beyond compare.

On those words, dive into yoga! Melt stress away,
be in the moment and create a bright future throughyour yoga practice. Ask questions and get started,
contact me today: keely@keelytotten.com. 

Namaste, 
Keely Totten, Yoga & Meditation Teacher, Writer,
Mama 


BEST FRIEND 

Scooter is a cute, friendly


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To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’, 
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please stop by any time fromHis adoption fee is $130 and10:30am to 4:30pm Tuesdayincludes neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchip through Sunday.Website:www.sgvhumane.org. 

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH THE 
WOMEN THAT INSPIRE US 


March is Women's History Month, a time when we honoreligibility as "any citizen or person."
the contributions of women to society.Her new code section passed theLori A. Harris 



When we endeavor to accomplish something new andlegislature, but the governor wasnever tried before, there will be resistance. We will get stuck hesitant to sign until she forced a meeting with her and hebecause of doubt and fear. We ask ourselves, "Can I do this? signed it the last day before the session closed.
Or even worse, "Who am I to do this?" I want to remind Our federal constitution provides for a jury trial and theyou to start with why. When an idea comes to you, thinkpresumption of innocence, but Clara soon realized thatabout the people you will help, and serve. One of my favorite was a meaningless platitude for indigent people chargedpower questions is, "is there some good in it for others?"with crimes without competent legal representation. Foltz

This month we will look at the work of ordinary womenadvocated for the establishment of the public defenderthat followed their dreams and made our communities system. Her model statute for the concept was introducedbetter. in 32 states. Los Angeles County opened the first public

This week I feature Clara Shortridge Foltz a lawyer, lecturer,defender office in 1913. Our county is home to the largestsuffragette, and reformer. She was the first woman to practiceand oldest public defender firm in the country.
law in California, the first woman admitted to HastingsThe work of Clara Shortridge Foltz improved life for 
College of Law, the first female deputy district attorney in theeveryone. I imagine there were times when she had doubts,
country, and the creator of the public defender system.was discouraged and sometimes she was afraid; but she

She started her career when her husband abandoned continued to pursue her dreams, and we are all helped by her 
her with five small children. She knew that she needed to courage. What idea is stirring inside of you? The first step is 
increase her skills to provide for her family and decided toto listen and get going.
become a lawyer. The first hurdle she encountered was Lori is a lawyer and coach. She works with people to helpthat the practice was limited to white male citizens. She them live the life of their dreams. You can learn more about her 
responded by drafting the Women Lawyers Bill that defined at www.LoriAHarris.com. 

THE MISSING PAGE 
Real Life Tips from LIfe's Instruction Manual 
Read us online at: 
www.mtnviewsnews.com 
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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com