Dog — friend of human! This is an indisputable fact. For the first time these animals were domesticated in time immemorial, and for innumerable centuries they have been faithful companions and friends for people around the world. Clever, loyal, courageous, they will never betray the owner, no matter what kind of dog it is — about a decorative chihuahua or a huge and strong wolfhound.
Interesting facts about dogs
- In the middle of the 18th century, domestic dogs were identified as a separate biological species, but modern scientists have abolished this classification and considered dogs to be one of the subspecies of wolves.
- The dog was the first animal to be tamed and domesticated by man. It is known that this happened in the era of the Upper Paleolithic – about 40 thousand years ago. Then the main function of dogs was to help people during the hunt and protect their homes.
- The genetic structure of Eskimo sled dogs is so ancient and unique that it has more in common with wild Australian dingoes than with wolves or any other breed of dog.
- In China, after the communists came to power, pet dogs were considered as a bourgeois luxury, so it was forbidden to have them. In the mid-1990s, the ban was lifted, and the Chinese began to massively acquire dogs as a symbol of high wealth. Now there are more than 30 million dogs in the country (interesting facts about China).
- In Muslim countries, dogs are treated with hostility – even where it is not forbidden to keep them at home, pets cannot be walked in public places or appear with them in vehicles. In the Maldives, for example, dogs are generally banned (interesting facts about the Maldives).
- The height of dogs of various breeds at the withers can vary from a dozen centimeters, like a Chihuahua, to almost a meter, like an Irish wolfhound or Great Dane.
- To date, there are more than 500 dog breeds in the world, and selection work in this direction continues.
- The record holder for growth among dogs is the Great Dane – its height at the withers was 109 cm with a weight of 111 kg and a body length of 221 cm.
- The English mastiff Zorba was twice recognized as the heaviest dog in the world – during the last weighing, he weighed 155.6 kg with a height of 94 cm.
- Six sled dogs are capable of towing a sled with a load that weighs a ton for several hours.
- Foxhounds are able to pursue prey for two days without a break, without losing the trail.
- The Mexican hairless dog has practically no hair on the body, while the length of the hair of dogs of some other breeds can reach 55 cm.
- In the United States, dog breeders are required to keep the tail of hunting breeds high during the pursuit of prey, in Britain – that it be stretched back. As a result, these dogs are often specially bred in two variants.
- Adult dogs have 42 teeth, 22 of which are located in the lower jaw.
- In Britain, it is illegal to crop the ears of dogs, as this procedure is considered cruelty to pets.
- The notion that dogs don’t sweat is wrong – in fact, they excrete liquid sweat through the tip of their nose and paw pads.
- Dogs see colors almost as well as humans, although their spectrum is somewhat shifted. Like colorblind people, they cannot distinguish between red and orange colors, but they see shades of gray better than humans (interesting facts about vision).
- All dogs have an excellent sense of smell, but some of them are real trackers. For example, Bloodhounds can pick up a trail left 100 hours ago, and in the 1920s in Africa, a Doberman Pinscher chased a thief for 160 kilometers.
- Dogs perfectly distinguish sounds at frequencies that for humans are ultrasound. They also easily distinguish music from random combinations of sounds.
- The record holder for the longest life expectancy among dogs is a dog named Blue, who lived in Australia for 29 years and 5 months. For almost two decades of her life she herded sheep and other livestock.