Iconic primatologist Jane Goodall changed how the world sees chimpanzees but one of her biggest influences was a dog.

The trailblazing scientists years of research, beginning in 1960 in Tanzania, won her international acclaim and played a pivotal role in the worlds understanding of animal intelligence .

But Goodall, now 89, told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday that she remembered a point in her career when the prevailing scientific establishment told her she had done everything wrong.

She recalled being told, Chimps shouldnt be named, they should be numbered. You cant talk about their personalities. You cant talk about them having brains capable of solving problems. And you certainly cant talk about them having emotions.

It was the memory of her childhood dog, Rusty, that gave her the conviction her critics were wrong.

My dog Rusty, when I was a child, taught me that was absolute piffle, she said. Balderdash. Rubbish.