As the director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, Cynthia Otto sees that, because working dogs are selected for high motivation, their drive can override physiological signs that they’re getting too hot. She says a search dog working in a humid environment or a police dog tracking a criminal could be at risk of exertional hyperthermia, an exercise-induced increase in core temperature above the baseline.
Penn Upward Bound high school students from West Philadelphia got a tour of the Penn Smart Aviary, GRASP Lab, and the Penn Vet Working Dog Center during a visit to Pennovation Works.