Fun Facts About Dogs

·         When Pompeii destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, was finally excavated, searchers found evidence of a dog lying across a child.

·       The ancient Chinese royalty loved the Pekingese, carrying them tucked into the sleeves of their royal robes.

·         English royalty loved all small dogs, letting them sit on their laps during court.  Why?  Because the fleas favored the dogs over the people, and would jump to the royal pups.  And that's where we get the old saying "Lap Dogs."

·         Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens.

·         The Poodle haircut was originally meant to improve the dog's swimming abilities as a retriever, with the pom-poms left in place to warm their joints.

·         Greyhounds are no doubt fast. In fact, they can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour for short amounts of time.

·         Have you ever seen a dog curled up with his tail covering his nose? They do that to keep the nose warm in cold weather.

·         Many dogs' eyes reflect the color green in the dark, but some also reflect orange or red.

·         Laikia, a dog, was the world's first ever space astronaut. She was sent into space in an artificial earth satellite in 1957 by the Russian government.

·         Survivors of the Titanic included two dogs: a Pekingese belonging to Henry Sleeper Harper and a Pomeranian belonging to Miss Margaret Hays.

·         The oldest known breed of dog is the Saluki, which is an Arabic word meaning noble one. These dogs were raised as hunting dogs by ancient Egyptians.

·         The oldest breed of dog native to North America is the Chihuahua.

·         That whole one year in a dog's life is the equivalent of 7 in a human's isn't exactly true. A more accurate calculation is as follows: At one year, a dog is the equivalent of 16 human years; at two dog years they are 24 human years; at 3 dog years, 30 human years; and for every dog year after that, add 4 human years.

·         Every minute, dogs take ten to thirty breaths.

·         The only mammals with prostates are humans and dogs.

·         There are 42 teeth in a dog's mouth.

·         Whippets can reach a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour.

·         The Taco Bell dog is actually a female, and her real name is Gidget.

·         One of the very first animals domesticated by humans was the dog.

·         The oldest known dog lived to be 29.

·         The "spring" in Springer Spaniel referred to this dog's ability to spring or startle game.

·         In Flemish, Schipperke translates to "Little Captain."

·         The Lhasa Apso was used by monks to guard temples.

·         The Doberman breed was created in the 1860's by Louis Doberman, a German tax-collector who created the dog to protect him while he worked.

·         Most people think that dogs sweat by salivating, but they actually sweat through the pads of their feet. 

·         The name Pug is believed to have derived from this dog's resemblance to the pug monkey.

·         Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not color blind but can, in fact, see color. However, their color scheme is not as vivid as ours and can be likened to our vision at twilight.

·         You might expect that a Great Dane can eat a lot of food. In fact, they can eat up to 8 ½ pounds a day!

·         Cats can see a lot better than dogs. In fact, dogs first distinguish objects by movement, then brightness, and finally by shape.

·         Among dogs officially registered with kennel clubs in the U.S., Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed followed by Rottweilers and German Shepherds.

·         All dogs, regardless of breed, are direct descendants of wolves and technically of the same species.

·         A dog's whiskers -- found on the muzzle, above the eyes and below the jaws -- are technically known as vibrissae. They are touch-sensitive hairs than actually sense minute changes in airflow.

·         Dogs are capable of locating the source of a sound in 6/100ths of a second by using their swiveling ears like radar dishes.

·         Dogs have a sense of smell that is one of the keenest in nature. Humans might smell a pot of stew cooking on the stove, but a dog can distinguish the smells of each individual ingredient, from the beef itself to the potatoes.

·         Dogs have been domesticated for 10,000 years.

·         There are over 200 different breeds of dogs

·         Canis Familiaris is the Latin name for dog.

·         The largest dogs among all breeds, at least in terms of height, is the Irish Wolfhound.

·         Nearly all but two breeds of dogs have pink tongues. The two exceptions? The Chow Chow and the Shar-pei, both with black tongues.

·         The Basenji is the only barkless dog in the world.

·         Dalmatian puppies are born pure white, with their spots developing as the mature.

·         In the United Kingdom, it's illegal to crop a dog's ears.

·         The penalty for killing a greyhound in ancient Egypt was equal to the penalty of killing a man.

·         In 1978, there was an enactment in New York City that made it mandatory for dog owners to clean up after their pets. Before that, however, approximately 40 million pounds of dog excrement were deposited on the streets annually.

·         Dogs in Pennsylvania seeking to congregate in groups of three or more on private property must first have a permit signed by the mayor.

·         In Paulding, Ohio, a policeperson is allowed to bite a dog in order to quiet him.

·         A City Council order in Belvedere, California reads "No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash."

·         In Denver, a law was passed requiring a dog catcher to notify dogs of impounding by posting a notice on a tree in the city park and along a public road running through said park for three consecutive days.