We all know why dogs are considered man's best friend -- they're loyal, love unconditionally, provide constant companionship and, in the words of Lord Byron, are "the firmest friend, the first to welcome, foremost to defend." But there's a lot more about dogs that you may not already know. Here's some of our favorites:
- All dogs are direct descendants of wolves.
Technically all dogs, from the St. Bernard to the Chihuahua, are of the same species. This is why they can cross breed and produce fertile offspring. Some of the newest crossbreeds (or designer dogs) are Puggles (Pug/Beagle), Chowggles (Beagle/Chow Chow) Labradoodles (Labrador/Poodle), and Chiweiners (Chihuahua/Dachshund).
Dogs are the oldest known domesticated animal. Scientists believe that dogs and people have lived with each other for at least 14,000 years. Two pieces of evidence include: 1) Homer's "The Odyssey", which he wrote in 9 BC. In this classic epic Homer mentions dogs for the first time in literary history. 2) Pompeii. When this ancient Roman community was excavated, archeologists found remains of a dog lying across a child in the ashes left from Mount Vesuvius' eruption in AD 79.
There are more than 200 types of pure breed dogs. The American Kennel Club recognizes 165 of them and categorizes them into seven groups: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding.
Dogs senses are far superior to human senses. Some authorities estimate that some dogs' sense of smell is as high as 1 million times greater than ours. Also, dog can hear sounds 250 yards away that most people cannot hear beyond 25 yards.
Dogs have three eyelids. They have an upper and lower eyelid and a third one inside of the other two, which gives their eyes extra protection from dirt and dust.
The Westminster Dog Show is the second oldest, consecutively held sporting event in America. Established in 1877, it pre-dates the invention of the light bulb, automobile and the zipper.
There is a “Pooper-Scooper” law. Under this law, owners that don't scoop-up after their dog at a show are fined $100.
Terriers were bred to rid property of vermin such as rats. Need we say more?
Sources:
"Dog." Columbia Encyclopedia. 2007. Accessed 12 Feb. 2007. http://reference.aol.com/columbia/_a/dog/20051205232309990025
American Kennel Club: http://www.akc.org
Americanbreeder.com: http://americanbreeder.com/
The Westminster Kennel Club: http://westminsterkennelclub.org/
This English springer spaniel, named Diamond Jim, won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show in New York, Feb. 13.