20 facts you may not know about dogs
By Di Ellis
- All dogs, from the German Shepherd to the Poodle, are direct descendants of wolves. They can all breed together and produce fertile offspring. Technically they are of the same species.
- The oldest reliable age recorded for a dog is 29 years, 5 months for a Queensland Blue Heeler called Bluey in Victoria, Australia. The average dog lives to around 15 years of age.
- Dogs naturally have a wonderful sense of smell. They have many more sensory 'smelling' cells than a man's 5,000,000. A Dachshund has 125,000,000, a Fox Terrier 147,000,000 and an Alsation has 220,000,000.
- Newfoundland's are great swimmers and divers because they have webbed feet. Bassets can't swim.
- Alaskan malamutes ears face backwards when running. This was so they could hear the commands of their master while running with a sleigh.
- There are two dogs that do not bark. They are the Basenji and the Australian Dingo (or native dog).
- Dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them.
- Dogs have twice as many muscles for moving their ears as people.
- Dogs' only sweat glands are between their paw pads.
- Only dogs and humans have prostates.
- Some dogs lick their paws and then rub their paws on their head to clean themselves, much like a cat.
- Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs.
- Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
- When a dog bays at the moon, it is following a basic urge to call the pack together.
- Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic - a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese .
- Dogs prefer to play keep-away rather than fetch.
- Most dogs really don't like to play dress up.
- Dogs don't understand pointing. They focus on the tip of your finger, not the item you are pointing at.
- Female dog bites are twice as numerous as male dog bites.
- The bible mentions dogs 14 times.
About The Author
Di Ellis is one of the owners of BestDoggieTips