Zen Barks | Dog Facts, Information You May Have Not Known

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 Appalachian 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 sq inch with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per sq 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
Newfoundland's 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 terrier, 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 the obromine (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 paw print
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
Toto's role in The Wizard of Oz was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry.
In the late 1800's, Lassie type Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs.
Former President Lyndon Johnson howled with his favorite dog, Yuki, a stray rescued by his daughter, Luci, at a Texas gas station. He also had two Beagles named Him and Her.
Teddy Roosevelt's pit bull, Pete, once ripped off a French ambassador's pants at a White House event.
Franklin D. Roosebelt once spent $15,000 to have a destroyer return to the Aleutian Islands and retrieve his Scottie, Fala, who had been accidentally left behind.
Davy Crockett's dog was named Sport.
Zorba, an English Mastiff, is the heaviest dog on record, weighing 343 lbs at the age of 8 in 1989.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the smallest dog on record was a Yorkshire Terrier in Great Britain who, at the age of 2, weighed just 4 ounces.
The longest lived dog, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was an Australian Cattle Dog, named Bluey, who lived to be 29.
The first living being to travel in space was a small mixed breed dog named Laika, who gave her life orbiting the earth in the Russian Sputnik in 1957.
John F. Kennedy's terrier, Charlie, sired 4 puppies with Laika's daughter, Pushinka.
The Lundehund breed has 6 toes and can close its ears.
Dalmatian puppies are pure white at birth.
Chihuahuas are born with a 'molera', or 'soft spot' like a human baby, which usually closes as they mature.
Dogs do not have an appendix.
An adult dog has 42 teeth.
The only sweat glands a dog has are between the paw pads.
A dog's normal body temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
If none are spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years.
The most successful mountain rescue dog ever was a St Bernard, named Barry, who lived during the early 1800's and saved 40 lives.
A 12 lb Yorkshire Terrier named Oliver once defended an elderly woman from an 80 lb Akita. The woman escaped to safety and the Yorkie survived with only nine stitches.
A German Shepherd guide dog, named Orient, led her blind hiker the entire 2100 mile Appalachian Trail.

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