posted by Stacy on Apr 20
Submitted by Guest Blogger For The Love of the Dog
Here’s an interesting list of fact for you about dogs, I bet you will find out some things you didn’t know before about mans best friend, I know I did. 
- 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.
- Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas
- A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100 mile Applachian Trail
- If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could product over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!
- Dogs’ only sweat glands are between their paw pads
- Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age
- The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears
- Teddy Roosevelt’s dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador’s pants off at the White House
- President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her
- Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands
- In Roman times, mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights
- The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs
- A dog’s mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch
- … with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per squre inch.
- A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human
- The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world

- France has the 2nd highest
- The average city dog lives 3 years longer than a country dog
- 87% of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.
- Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures
- 15 people die in the U.S. every year from dog bites
- In 2002 alone, more people in the U.S. were killed by dogs than by sharks in the past 100 years
- Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog
- Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet
- Basset Hounds cannot swim
- Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour
- Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box
- The bible mentions dogs 14 times
- Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic - a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese
- The Labrador Retriever is the #1 favorite breed in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
- Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs
- An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner’s will
- 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
- Dog’s nose prints are as unique as a human’s finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them

- 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
- 70% of people sign their pet’s name on greeting and holiday cards
- 58% put pets in family and holiday portraits
- There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world - perhaps the rarest breed
- 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.
- Dogs have no sense of “time”
- Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years
- The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound
- The world’s smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua
- The St. Bernard is the heaviest
- Only dogs and humans have prostates
- But dogs do not have an appendix
- Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus - a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago
- The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
- In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite
- … while JFK’s terrir, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika’s daughter
- An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark
- There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs

- Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers
- The world’s smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever
- … while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound
- A dog’s smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human’s
- … which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human’s.
- Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape
- Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill
- George Washington had thirty six dogs - all foxhounds - with one named Sweetlips
- All dogs are identical in anatomy - 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth
- Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds
- Female dogs are only ready to mate - “in heat” - twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days

- Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks
- Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood dog star
- … and he really signed his movie contracts - all 22 of them - with a pawprint
- The Wizard of Oz’s Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry
- Up until the late 1800’s, Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs
- Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people
- The longer a dog’s nose, the more effective it’s internal cooling system
- An elderly woman was saved by her 12 pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80 pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches
- 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
- Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves
- Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertal offspring
- Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups
- Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology
- Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they’re born
- Dogs’ sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human’s
- Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.
- The earliest dog fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.
- Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously
- Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.
- The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes
- Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws
- All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock - from 3 month old puppies, all the way up to thirteen year old poodles
- A dog’s heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute
- The oldest dog on record - a Queensland “Heeler” named Bluey - was 29 years, 5 months old
- Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport
- Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen
- Dogs live 15 years on average
- Many foot disorders inn dogs are simply an issue of long toenails
- More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year
- More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog
- Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees
- The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care
- Dogs are natural pack animals
- They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status - human or canine
- Dogs instinctively require the pack leader’s approval
- Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don’t make good pets
- The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered
- After birth, puppies’ eyes do not fully open until they’re about 12 days old
- Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month
Many thanks Deanna For The Love of the Dog You have a great animal cruelty blog

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April 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 am
the cat and puppies were cute yo
April 24th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Good information about our dogs…now i learn more thing about my bestfriend…
April 24th, 2008 at 8:31 am
[…] 1. 102 Interesting Facts About Dogs […]
April 25th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
What an interesting list! I enjoyed learning facts I hadn’t known before.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I am writing in to report about a sad situation that is going on, in Miami, Florida. One can look up information about the case here: http://www.miami-dadeclerk.com/cjis/search1.asp
The case number is F08003519. The Circuit Judge is the Honorable Rosa Rodriguez. The case concerns a criminal defendant named Luis Batista who on 1/30/2008, hung a defenseless black dog in his stable. The dog was a stray that wandered onto his property and ate some chickens and geese in hunger. He retaliated by getting a choker chain, putting that around its neck, then tying a rope to that and hanging him from a wooden beam. The dog died from a fractured hyoid and dislocated skull. The police, miami-dade animal control and the prosecution are doing their best to prosecute this case and seek justice for this silent victim, but the judge seems determined to give this individual the lightest punishment she can award in this matter. She does not feel that even though animals are flesh and blood, can feel pain and suffering just like everyone else, that animal rights matter. She will let this individual walk away scott free without jail time, because she thinks no one cares. She is actually entertaining the possibility of dismissing the case on the grounds that this is “not a cruel death.” Unfortunately beyond the police, animal control and the prosecutors, no one speaks up for, or cares for this dead stray and the judge thinks that because this is not a human being, this is a trivial matter. Please, if you care, send your letters to the judge to let her know that people in America care about seeking real punishment for people who in a cowardly fashion, prey upon animal victims in this manner and that they should get jail time, not a slap on the wrist.
Chambers of Judge Rosa Rodriguez
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building
1351 N.W. 12th Street
Room 318
Miami, Florida 33125
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Wow. This is a long list of interesting facts about dogs. Love it! Thanks for sharing. =)
May 8th, 2008 at 1:11 am
i have always been fond of animals.. my dream ws to become a vet.But fate has other plans.hence in future would really like to do something for the poor creatures.By unearthing the truths regarding how animals show us their unconditional love towards their owners u are doing a wonderful job.Can you help me out..please mail me..will be waiting
July 1st, 2008 at 2:53 pm
These are indeed interesting! Thanks for posting this
September 11th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Very cute and informative list! I didn’t know a lot of stuff in there.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:58 am
good website im now volenterring at a local pound in melbourne
September 16th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I LUV DOGS SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!
DOGS RULE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#1 DOGS IN THE WORLD R JACK RUSSELL TERRIERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 18th, 2008 at 6:55 am
dogs are freakin awesome!!! =D
My doggy’s name is Tuff!!! =]
He is a Blue Heeler!!
Best doggy ever!!!!
ily you guys!!!!have fun with your doggies!!!!=D
September 21st, 2008 at 11:49 am
I am really glad I found this website and all these facts and information on dogs. I have to have research on dogs for my English class’s project and now I’ve got the best facts so far, I think!! Just joking, I really apreciate it! :-)~
October 2nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
tese are amazing facts they helped me with my homework!!! thanx!!! SAVE THE ANIMALS!!!!!!!
October 2nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
i have a dog named reisling aka reis shes a bernese mountian dog shes cute!!!!