Some people have WAY too much time on their hands and NO idea what to do with it.  Whether this is true or not, I seriously doubt.  If the dog only does it when it is in the mood, not confused, not on a leash, etc., then it seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy of the "scientist" and is subjective; not objective: whenever the dog does not allign himself, clearly he has a good reason (maybe he wanted to be down wind, maybe there were too many scientific observers and he felt a little embarrassed, maybe it was Tuesday, and everyone knows dogs take Tuesday off, etc.).  Dogs and cats do have some interface with magnetism, no doubt, for they both can find their way home from miles away without having ever traversed the route; but to suggest that dogs line up with the pole (the magnetic pole, not the telephone pole, or light pole, or sign pole) seems a bit far-fetched.  The big head scratcher would be, "WHY?"  I know if you use a cattle prod on a dog the crap comes out easier.  That has a little to do with magnetism (electro-magnetism).  And why do cats not do it, being that cats are superior intellectually and communicatively...? or maybe the cats dig the hole opposite to the magnetic field so when they squat they face the magnetic pole, but since they are so much smarter they don't have to turn around 6 times before they feel the force; and since they don't make such a grand display of confusion, no researcher has ever thought it worthy of investigation... what a shame, such a veritable scientific minefield is being left entirely untapped because science has gone to the dogs and is no longer the cat's meow because curiosity still gets the cat, but clearly not the researchers.  Regardless, I think the far greater question for scientific study would be to find out whether the fleas on the dog get sea sick or if they would prefer the dog to just straight up take care of business and cease with the merry-go-round.  That's my insight/humor for the day... hope that makes someone's day... in a tiny way... and try as hard as you may, next time you see your dog doing the watusi, are you going to look?  get your compass out?  Maybe the scientific experiment is really to release this "brainstorm of scientific revelation" into the public mind, then 6 months later take a poll and see what percentage of the people who heard the story actually began taking notes.  If these "scientists" don't produce positive results (regardless of what they are really studying), they will have really stepped in it academically.

 http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Blog/2014/01/02/Dogs-align-themselves-with-Earths-magnetic-field-when-it-comes-time-to-poop/8781388679392/
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> Take your compass with you next time you go for a walk.