5 amazing jobs that dogs can do if yours needs to start pulling its weight
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By Abbie Kopf
October 13, 2023
Dogs are not considered the smartest domesticated animals (aw), but they are considered the most pro-social. Studies have found that dogs pick up human cues almost instantaneously, such as pointing at things. Technically smarter animals — like chimpanzees — may be trained to care about human gestures, but don’t do so intuitively. (And cats probably just don’t care.)
In fact, dogs have been helping us for a long time thanks to their ability to read and respond to human needs. Trained service animals provide vital functions for hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who have mental and physical disabilities. Law enforcement and the military use dogs for a wide variety of purposes — some bomb sniffing dogs even have baseball cards.
Still, canines continuously expand their resumes. Here are five amazing jobs that you can look into if your pet isn’t contributing to your household coffers.
Bed bug detection
Bed bugs are a pernicious problem because these tiny pests are hard to spot until there are symptoms – like itchy bites. Dogs’ gold-level sense of smell allows them to detect bed bugs at the earliest stages of development and will alert humans to places where bed bugs hide that you might miss with sight alone — like behind wallpaper, for instance. Trained K9s sniff out areas with bed bugs and alert their pest control technician, a team which is more effective than humans inspectors alone.
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Get your wardrobe ready for a wet, cold winter
Get ready: Experts predict that the South and Southwest might get drenched this year
Bad news, warm weather lovers. El Niño, the weather pattern that brought hotter-than-hot summers will likely cause colder, wetter winters throughout the South and Southwest, according to predictions by experts. As the jet stream shifts south, more precipitation combines with cooler weather to increase the chances of freezing rain, sleet, snow and ice.
The good news? While we can’t predict the weather, we can certainly get ready for it. Having the right gear and apparel can make a world of difference when fighting against Mother Nature. Here are a few helpful tips for staying warm, dry and (relatively) happy during a doozy of a season.
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The 3 best-reviewed white-noise machine brands
We combed through multiple roundups and found clear winners in the white-noise game
From apps to standalone devices, there is an ever-growing list of options to combat noise pollution that interferes with a good night’s rest. It can be difficult to narrow down your perfect noise-neutralizer, so we’ve done the work to find a clear consensus on winning brands. We evaluated the choices from sources1 who score sound machines by rigorous testing and user reviews to find the most innovative, effective, user-friendly options on the market.
Before we dig in, make sure to note which of these machines offer the kinds of sound you want. In general, there are three kinds of noise that help drown out sound:
- White noise: Classic white noise combines all frequencies and may sound like a hair dryer, fan, heater, etc.
- Pink noise: In these soundscapes, higher frequencies are not as loud and are more akin to rainfall or rivers.
- Brown noise: These sounds feature lower frequencies — think rolling thunder, for instance.
Whatever your favorite kind of distraction, there are noise machines that can accommodate your needs. Here are the top three brands, according to the experts.
Hatch: mentioned in 80% of “top” lists
The Hatch product suite provides a comprehensive calming, noise-reducing experience for adults, kids and babies, each with a charming minimalistic design. Hatch bills its product for adults, the Restore 1, as a sleep assistant, providing a “sound machine, sunrise alarm, smart light, meditation app and an alarm clock” in its dreamy orb. Though it mainly utilizes pink noise, you can access curated rest and relaxation content and mixes on the app. The Rest 2nd Gen is a noise machine, night-light and “dream machine” with lights and music that act as cues to help establish consistent sleep schedules for kids and babies. Parents can pick from a variety of sounds — from lullabies to gentle waves — to help make nighttime feel magical for little ones.
Adaptive Sound Technologies, Inc. (LectroFan and Sound + Sleep)
Adaptive Sound Technologies develops and distributes some of the best-reviewed sound machines, including two that made almost every “best-of” list we evaluated.
LectroFan: mentioned in 70% “top” lists
The LectroFan Classic is a simple, sleek option that’s simple but effective. The machine only offers 20 sounds —10 fan sounds and 10 pure white-noise sounds. The noises range from as quiet as a whisper to louder than an industrial fan, according to the website. The LectroFan Evo is another well-regarded choice, with 22 non-repeating brown, pink and white noise options, and is slightly lighter and smaller than the Classic.
Sound + Sleep: mentioned in 50% of “top” lists
The company claims the Sound + Sleep is “scientifically engineered” to lead to better rest and relaxation, and users seem to agree. The high-fidelity speaker makes the Sound + Sleep models ideal for smooth, high-quality sound production. The premium Sound + Sleep SE offers more sound profiles and features an audio jack, so you can listen to your own music or wind down with sounds for restful zzz’s.
Yogasleep: Mentioned in 60% of “top” lists
Yogasleep provides multiple shopping options that allow you to select the right product by preferred noise or by use — whether you’re traveling, using it for a baby or even calming an anxious pet. Reviewers consistently cited the Dohm® Classic, which is aptly named. The machine was originally invented in 1962 and sticks to the same formula that has helped this brand become one of the most trusted names in sleep. Inside the Dohm, a real fan is whirring, and you can adjust the fan by tone and speed. This means that, unlike some machines, there are no sound resets that can jar you out of slumber. Yogasleep also features a more compact version, the Hushh®+, which includes more sounds and wireless charging when you’re on the go.
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Sources: Wirecutter, USA Today Reviewed, CNET, Good Housekeeping, CNN Underscored, Wired, The Strategist, NY Post, Forbes, PC Mag
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