Facts About Dogs
Dogs are amazing creatures, and have been man’s best friend for thousands of years. However, despite them being so tightly integrated into our culture, there are many things you may not know about them. Here are some interesting facts that you may find interesting about our canine friends:
General
- The average dog lives to be about 15 years old.
- A healthy body temperature for an adult dog is 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The Basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark. They are native to Africa.
- Dogs are carnivores by nature, however they can survive on an omnivorous diet (which is why the rumor started that dogs are actually omnivores).
Behavior
- Staring an unknown dog down with your eyes can actually be interoperated as a challenge, and may result in an attack.
- Dogs do not actually understand pointing. They actually focus on the tip of your finger instead of the item you are pointing at.
- Dogs are one of the few animals that are capable of being jealous, and they often act on this emotion.
Family
- Dogs see humans in their family as members of the pack, and most scientists believe that they cannot tell the difference between a human and another canine in their pack.
- A female dog carries her offspring for about sixty days before giving birth.
- Roughly thirty-three percent of Americans own at least one dog.
Origin
- Dogs are in the same family as foxes and wolves, and may be descendants of a small weasel-like mammal called Miacis.
- Domesticated dogs (as we know them today) first appeared in Eurasia about 13,000 years ago, and they were most likely the descendants of a small, grey wolf.
Dog Records
- The longest living dog on record was named Bluey, and lived to be 29 years and 5 months. The breed was a Queensland ‘heeler’ and lived in Victoria, Australia.
- The largest dog (heaviest and longest) was named Zorba, and weighed 343 lbs and was 8′ 3″ inches long from nose to tail.
- The smallest dog recorded in history was a Yorkie that grew up in Blackburn, England. He was only 2.5 inches tall by 3.75 inches long, and weighed only four ounces.
- The world’s tallest dog was named Shamgret Danza, weighing 42 inches tall (toe to shoulder) and weighing 238 lbs.
Senses
- Dogs have twice as many muscles dedicated to moving their ears as humans do.
- A dog can hear the same sound we hear at 25 yards, over 250 yards away.
- Dogs can detect sound waves vibrating at frequencies up to 30,000 times a second, which is 10,000 times per second more than a human can hear.
- Some scientists estimate that a dogs smelling (sense of olfaction) may be up to one million times greater than that of our own.
- Dogs primarily identify people by their shapes (think silhouettes) and scent.