102 Weird Facts You Never Knew About Dogs

1.       It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to

          our  vision at dusk.

 

2.       Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas

3.       A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100 mile Appalachian Trail

4.       If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could product over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!

5.       Dogs' only sweat glands are between their paw pads

6.       Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age

7.       The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears.

8.       Teddy Roosevelt's dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador's pants off at the White House

9.       President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her

10.   Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands

11.   In Roman times, mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights

12.   The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs

13.   A dog's mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch

 

14.   ... with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per squre inch..

15.   A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human

16.   The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world

17.   France has the 2nd highest

18.   The average city dog lives 3 years longer than a country dog

19.   87% of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.

20.   Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures

21.   15 people die in the U.S. every year from dog bites

22.   In 2002 alone, more people in the U.S. were killed by dogs than by sharks in the past 100 years

23.   Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog

24.   Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet

25.   Basset Hounds cannot swim

26.   Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour

27.   Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box

28.   The bible mentions dogs 14 times

29.   Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic - a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese

30.   The Labrador Retriever is the #1 favorite breed in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

31.   Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs

32.   An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner's will

33.   An American Animal Hospital Assoc. poll found that 33% of dog owners admit to talking to their dogs on the

       phone and leaving answering machine messages for them while away

34.   Dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them

35.   At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", a high-pitched dog whistle was recorded by Paul McCartney for his sheepdog

36.   70% of people sign their pet's name on greeting and holiday cards

37.   58% put pets in family and holiday portraits

38.   There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world - perhaps the rarest breed

39.   The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.

40.   Dogs have no sense of "time"

41.   Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years

42.   The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound

43.   The world's smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua

44.   The St. Bernard is the heaviest

45.   Only dogs and humans have prostates

46.   But dogs do not have an appendix

47.   Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus - a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago

48.   The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.

49.   In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite

50.   ... while JFK's terrir, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika's daughter

51.   An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark

52.   There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs

53.   Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers

54.   The world's smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever

55.   ... while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound

56.   A dog's smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human's

57.   ... which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human's.

58.   Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape

59.   Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill

60.   George Washington had thirty six dogs - all foxhounds - with one named Sweetlips

61.   All dogs are identical in anatomy - 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth

62.   Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds

63.   Female dogs are only ready to mate - "in heat" - twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days

64.   Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks

65.   Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood dog star

66.   ... and he really signed his movie contracts - all 22 of them - with a pawprint

67.   The Wizard of Oz's Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry

68.   Up until the late 1800's, Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs

69.   Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people

70.   The longer a dog's nose, the more effective it's internal cooling system

71.   An elderly woman was saved by her 12 pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80 pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches

72.   U.S. Customs dogs "Rocky" and "Barco" were so good at patrolling the border that Mexican drug lords put a $300,000 bounty on their heads

73.   Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves

74.   Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertal offspring

75.   Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups

76.   Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology

77.   Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they're born

78.   Dogs' sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human's

79.   Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second..

80.   The earliest dog fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.

81.   Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously

82.   Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.

83.   The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes

84.   Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws

85.   All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock - from 3 month old puppies, all the way up to thirteen year old poodles

86.   A dog's heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute

87.   The oldest dog on record - a Queensland "Heeler" named Bluey - was 29 years, 5 months old

88.   Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport

89.   Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen

90.   Dogs live 15 years on average

91.   Many foot disorders inn dogs are simply an issue of long toenails

92.   More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year

93.   More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog

94.   Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees

95.   The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care

96.   Dogs are natural pack animals

97.   They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status - human or canine

98.   Dogs instinctively require the pack leader's approval

99.   Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don't make good pets

100.  The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered

101.  After birth, puppies' eyes do not fully open until they're about 12 days old

102.  Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month 
  

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The five most common dog names:
Male: Max, Jake, Buddy, Bailey, Sam
Female: Maggie, Molly, Lady, Sadie, Lucy 

 
A famous Beagle you might have heard about is Snoopy the dog.  He was a character from the Peanuts comic strip. Everyone loved the adorable Beagle named Snoopy that was in the newspaper since 1950.

Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens.

Chicken or steak bones leftover from dinner can choke your dog or break and cause damage to the inside of her body. Visit your favorite pet store to find special bones that are safe for your dog to chew.. 

Some dogs have coats with two layers: the beautiful hair you can see,and a hidden, second coat called an undercoat. This undercoat helps a dog stay warm and dry in cold weather and it protects his skin from the hot sun, too.

A puppy is born without teeth. When the pup is three to four weeks old, 28 teeth will break through the gums so the puppy will be able to eat solid food.

Dalmatian puppies are pure white when they are born and develop their spots as they mature and grow older.

There are two famous Parson (Jack) Russell Terriers on TV.  Eddie is famous for his antics on Frazier, and Wishbone has his own TV show on PBS!

A Golden Retriever's coat has two layers: the beautiful golden hair you can see, and a hidden, second coat called an undercoat. This undercoat helps a Golden stay warm and dry while he's swimming or in cold weather.

At a Do-It-Yourself Dog Wash, you pay to use the tub, towels, soap, and dryer.. The tubs are up high so you don't have to bend over and you don't have to clean up the mess. Your dog will enjoy seeing dogs in the other tubs getting their rub-a-dub-dub!

The American Kennel Club recognizes over 157 different kinds of purebred dogs.

Irish Wolfhounds are the tallest dogs among all breeds.

German Shepherd Dogs love to herd. Although this dog's name sounds like 'SHEPARD', the correct spelling is 'SHEPHERD'.  Notice the word 'herd' in his name.

Dogs were the first animals domesticated by people.

At 4-8 weeks of age, a puppy's mouth will get 28 baby teeth.  At 4-7 months of age, the baby teeth fall out and are replaced with 42 permanent adult teeth.

There is no purebred dog called a Golden Lab. Your dog is either a Golden Retriever or a Labrador Retriever.

The following indicate possible health problems and should be checked by a vet: vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, excessive sneezing, coughing, or abnormal discharge from eyes.

In the middle ages, Rottweilers were used to hunt boar, which are wild pigs with tusks.

The American Kennel Club says that Cocker Spaniels are the smallest member of the sporting dog family.

Dogs have been wearing collars ever since Egyptian times!  We have seen dogs with collars in art that dates back to ancient times.

A puppy is born without teeth. When your pup is three to four weeks old, 28 teeth will break through the gums so the puppy will be able to eat solid food.

Dogs were first domesticated about 12,000 years ago.

The phrase "Dog Days of Summer" comes from an ancient Roman belief.  It was believed that the Dog star, Sirius, gave off a lot of heat and caused higher temperatures during the months of June, July, and August.  To keep themselves warm in the winter, dogs sometimes curl up with their tail covering their nose.

In many cities, there are close to 50,000 pets each year that have no homes and no one to take care of them.

Lassie was the first animal named to the Animal Hall of Fame in 1969.

Chihuahuas are the smallest dog breed among AKC registered dogs.

Television’s original Lassie was a male dog.