Something Extra: A Dog's Life

MIAMI (CBS4) - For dog lovers, one of life's great mysteries is what do our dogs think about?

Well, we may know soon.

Scientists at Atlanta's Emory University are turning to MRI machines to find out.  They've shown it's possible to train dogs to climb into an M-R-I tunnel and stay still long enough, without restraints, to get their brains scanned.

These are believed to be the first brain scans of unsedated dogs.

Researchers used a simple experiment to see how the dogs' brains reacted when they saw a signal telling them they were going to get a treat and then another telling them they weren't.

The scientists hope to start more complicated experiments to learn if dogs have empathy for their owners and how their brains react to spoken language.

Maybe we'll get to know if they really love us or if it all about us giving them food.

That fluffy white thing is my dog Bean.  Cute, right?

Well, I really wanted to know what Bean was thinking yesterday when my wife went out, leaving my dog Bean home alone, and he got angry and peed on the rug in the den where I watch television.  How's that fair?  Maybe an MRI will tell me.