van Dalen Kennels - 101 Facts about Dogs

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 and some small breed puppies are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age

The Lundehund has several unique traits. They have at least 6 toes on each foot. Their limbs can extend out to 90 degrees from their bodies. Due to extra vertebrae in their necks they can touch the top of their heads to their backs. The only other mammal with this trait is the Reindeer! They also have the ability to close their ears when they get moist. They are the only breed known with this many unique characteristics.

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 square 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 TV.

Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures, and some cancers like melanoma.

Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog

Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet

Most 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 Cesky 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

Only dogs and humans have prostates

But dogs do not have an appendix

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 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 Sweet lips

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 fertile 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 9 weeks 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. Spots come latter.

Shar Pei tongues are pink when they are born, then they start turning black or lavender when they are 2 weeks old.

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

A small dog's heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute

Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport

Dogs live 15 years on average

Many foot disorders in 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 degrees and 101.5 for a puppy.

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

The tallest dogs are the Great Dane and the Irish Wolfhound. The largest Great Dane stood at 103cm and an Irish Wolfhound 100cm.

The worlds heaviest as well as longest dog ever recorded is believed to be an Old English Mastiff named Zorba of La-Susa (born September 26, 1981.), an Old English Mastiff owned by Chris Eraclides of London, England. In 1989, Zorba weighed 343 lbs and was 8 feet 3 inches long from nose to tail!

The smallest dogs are the Chihuahua, the Yorkshire Terrier and the Toy Poodle. A Yorkie once weighed in at only 283.5g.

Dogs have been used as guards, hunters, draught animals, eyes for the blind, drug and explosive detectors, rodent controllers- and even weapons! In Roman times and the Middle Ages, mastiffs wearing light armor, carrying spikes and pots of flaming sulphur and resin ran into battle against mounted knights. In World War II the Russians trained dogs to run suicide missions between the tracks of German tanks with mines strapped on their backs.

Dogs" hearing is very acute. They can register sounds of 35,000 vibrations a second (compared to our 20,000 and a cat's 25,000).

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 a German Shepherd (often used as a "sniffer" dog) has 220,000,000. Truffle hounds can find the fungus delicacy even when it's a foot underground.

The oldest reliable age recorded for a dog is 29 years, 5 months for a Australian Cattle dog called Bluey in Victoria, Australia. The average dog lives to around 15 years of age.

There are about 700 types of pure breed dogs.

Dogs can very easily regurgitate. In fact, after eating, wolves can travel significant distances back to their dens and regurgitate their food at will to feed their pups!

A greyhound named Bang jumped 30 feet while chasing a hare at Brecon Lodge, Glouchestershire, England in 1849. He cleared a 4 foot 6 inch gate and landed on a hard road, damaging his pastern bone.

In 1925, a Doberman Pinscher named Sauer, trained by Detective-Sergeant Herbert Kruger, tracked a stock thief 100 miles across the Great Karroo, South Africa by scent alone.

Mr. Jeffries is a Basset hound from West Sussex, England. His ears measure 29.2 cm. He is also the grandson of the famous dog from the Hush Puppies shoe ads.

In 1925, a Doberman Pinscher named Sauer, trained by Detective-Sergeant Herbert Kruger, tracked a stock thief 100 miles across the Great Karroo, South Africa by scent alone.

Dogs Rule!