Friday, December 7, 2007

Interesting Dog Facts

We all love dogs but there is a chance you do not know some interesting dog facts that are quite funny or amazing. Let us take our mind off dog training, dog breeds, small dogs, toy dogs, big dogs and so on. Let us focus on what is special. For instance, did you know that some dog breeds are stand alone because of some facts? The Greyhound is currently the fastest dog on Earth and it can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour when running. The problem is that it is only for short periods of time. The Irish Wolfhound is the largest dog while the title of the tallest dog needs to go th The Great Dane. As you probably imagined, the St. Bernard is the heaviest dog and the Chihuahua the smallest dog breed. They do say size does not matter though so let us shift focus on some concrete interesting dog facts.

The oldest dog ever was an Australian cattle-dog named Bluey. He lived for 29 years and 5 months. Also, the Titanic saw two dogs survive the sinking of the ship. I am sure nobody really mentions this. Another interesting or strange fact, no matter how you call it, was that Paul McCartney did something special for his Shetland sheepdog. He probably wanted the dog to enjoy his music so the Beatles' song, "A Day in the Life", shows an ultrasonic whistle at the end that is only audible to dogs. If you play this track, do not be amazed if you hear your hound dog howling. When it comes to religion, man's best friend is not that popular. Dogs were only mentioned 14 times in the Bible. It also seems that Shakespeare did not enjoy dogs although we might be mistaken. THe only dog to appear in a Shakespearean play was Crab, in one play that I like, "The Two Gentlemen of Verona". Well, I like most Shakespeare plays, so I can not be objective on that. One of the most interesting facts that few people know is that Dalmatian puppies are white when they are born. As time passes they start to develop the black spots that makes them famous and a delight for children.

Let us also talk about some strange dog facts. Did you know that there are over 68 million dogs owned in the US alone? 33 percent of them admitted to talking to their dogs and even leaving phone messages for them. Also, we are going to see some wealthy dogs (or a battle for the dog's custody in most cases) when some owners die as around 1 million dogs were named beneficiary of the will of their masters. Although the top 5 dog breeds of choice when it comes to popularity in the US are Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shephard, Beagle and Dachshund, there are 157 dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club and over 800 recognized by various groups around the world. By the way, just in case you were wondering, the average cost of owning a dog for its entire life in the US is around $13,000, but that is over an average lifespan period of 11 years and prairie dogs are not actually members of a dog breed family, they are a species of rodents.

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