Soldiers of Hairs

Genesis 1:24

I recently finished reading a book by Alexandra Horowitz entitled Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know. Each chapter moved me toward greater and greater appreciation of the abilities of my two Old English Sheepdogs Mac and Molly. I believe the better I understand them the better I'll be at communicating with them.

In a section on canine olfactory prowess, the author notes, “The tissue of the inside of the nose is entirely blanketed with tiny receptor sites, each with soldiers of hairs to help catch molecules of certain shapes and pin them down. Human noses have about six million of these sensory receptor sites; sheepdog noses, over two hundred million; beagle noses, over three hundred million.”

Horowitz continues: “We might notice that our coffee has been sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar; a dog can detect a teaspoon of sugar diluted in a million gallons of water: two Olympic-sized pools full.”

What a magnificent God we serve, a God who has created such extraordinary creatures, a God who has created an astonishing realm of breathtaking beauty and glorious intricacies! May we celebrate this day this world of whom He has made us stewards and widen our eyes to its amazing wonders!

"And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:24, NIV).