| Dogs are so much fun but did you know these things?
There are estimated to be 400,000,000 dogs in the world.
Americans own 68 million dogs.
Dog Breed Specific
- The tallest dogs are the Great Dane and the Irish Wolfhound.
- The world's smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua.
- The St. Bernard is the heaviest.
- The Doberman breed was created in the 1860's by a German tax collector in need of protection named Louis Doberman.
- The Labrador Retriever originated in Newfoundland.
- The Pharaoh Hound has the ability to blush when they're excited.
- The worlds oldest dog was an Australian cattle-dog named Bluey who lived to the
age of 29 years and 5 months!
- The Greyhound is the fastest dog on earth and can run 45 miles per hour for
short periods of time.
- The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to
help them track game.
- The Lhasa Apso was originally bred by monks to guard monasteries in Tibet. Hard of hearing monks would be alerted by the dogs sharp high pitched bark.
- The Bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in an American Court.
- The Chow Chow and the Shar-pei both have black tongues. All other dogs have pink tongues.
- The Basenji is unable to bark.
Dogs and People
- The Akita was first introduced to the United States by Helen Keller,
who received one as a gift from a city official during her visit to the
Prefecture of Akitas in 1937.
- A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100 mile Appalachian Trail.
- Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog.
- Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box.
- A police dog can search a car in about three minutes.
- On average, a police service dog retires at the age of seven.
- The US Custom's Labrador named Snag has been dubbed the worlds best dog sniffer after 118 drug seizures worth $810 Million.
Dogs and History
- The first dog show was held on June 28-29, 1859 in the town hall of Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.
- Dogs have been our pets for the past 12,000 years but we’ve had a working relationship with dogs for 80,000 years.
- The Egyptians were the first to have laws to punish humans for being cruel to dogs.
- Tombs from the year 4,000 BC to 3500 BC, are adorned with drawings of dogs
resembling the Greyhound and Saluki.
- George Washington had thirty six dogs - all Foxhounds.
- Pete, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's
Bull Terrier, bit so many people he was exiled from the White House.
- U.S. President Johnson had two Beagles named Him and Her.
- Laddie Boy, U.S. President Warren G. Harding's Airedale, delivered the President's newspaper each day/
- Snuppy, an Afghan Hound, was the first
cloned dog.
- 14 ancient breeds of dogs have recently been identified with DNA analysis. They show the fewest genetic differences from wolves:
- Afghan Hound - Afghanistan
- Chow Chow - China
- Lhasa Apso - Tibet
- Pekingese - China
- Shar Pei - China
- Shit Tzu - Tibet
- Tibetan Terrier - Tibet
- Saluki - Egypt
- Basenji - DR Congo
- Akita Inu - Japan
- Shiba Inu - Japan
- Samoyed - Siberia
- Siberian Husky - Siberia
- Alaskan Malamute - United States
- Pekingese were the exclusive property of the Chinese Imperial Court and commoners had to bow to the dogs.
- Siberian Huskies have been used to herd reindeer in Siberia for 3000 years.
- Rin Tin Tin, the first Hollywood dog star, signed all 22 of his contracts with a paw print.
Dog Physique
- Does your dog seem to know when to expect your significant other to
arrive home from work? That’s because their internal clock is truly
amazing. They know when you’re supposed to be home, when it’s time to
eat or any of the things that you do on a schedule.
- Dogs have twice as many muscles for moving their ears as people.
- A
dog’s nose is not just used for smelling, but also to keep him cool.
That’s why a dog pants. The longer the dog’s nose, the better his
cooling system works.
- Dogs take between 10 and 30 breaths every minute.
- A dog can hear sounds 250 yards away but most people cannot hear beyond 25
yards.
- Dogs have 28 deciduous teeth (temporary) and 42 permanent teeth. Deciduous or "milk" teeth begin to appear when a
puppy is about four weeks of age, and are lost gradually between 14 and 30 weeks
of age.
- Dalmatian puppies are born completely white and get their spots later.
- All dogs have identical anatomy with 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth.
- The average body temperature of a dog is 101.2 degrees
Official State Dogs
- Louisiana: Louisiana Catahoula Leopard - Dog Official State dog 1979
- Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Retriever - State dog 1964
- Massachusetts: Boston Terrier - Dog or dog emblem 1979
- North Carolina: Plott Hound - Official dog 1989
- Pennsylvania: Great Dane - Official dog 1965
- South Carolina: Boykin Spaniel - Official dog 1985
- Texas: Blue Lacy - Official State dog breed 2005
- Virginia: American Foxhound - Official dog 1966
- Wisconsin: American Water Spaniel - State dog 1985
- Kansas: Cairn Terrier - (state dog, not yet official)
Hope you discovered something about dogs that you didn't know before! This article was written by Doreen Simpson. Visit www.dbdogshop.com for more "Good Ideas for Good Dogs." |
