Betcha didn’t know this about dogs
PET BULLETIN
‘Mews and Yips’ from the Central Aroostook Humane Society
By Gail Wieder
Well, once again the crazy dog lady is back with some very interesting facts about our canine friends. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. I enjoy going on Google and bringing up different articles to read on dogs and cats. Sometimes you come across great tips and items that are very interesting, such as these:
There are more than 150 dog breeds, divided into eight classes: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, herding and miscellaneous.
According to a recent survey, the most popular name for a dog is Max. Other popular names include Molly, Sam, Zach and Maggie.
Puppies and kittens can be adopted as early as 8 weeks of age. Until then, they should stay with their moms and littermates.
About one-third of the dogs that are surrendered to animal shelters are purebreds.
Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. They sweat through the pads of their feet.
Dogs may not have as many taste buds as we do (they have about 1,700 on their tongues, while we humans have about 9,000), but that doesn’t mean they’re not discriminating eaters. They have over 200 million scent receptors in their noses (we have only 5 million) so it’s important that their food smells good and tastes good.
The term “dog days” has nothing to do with dogs. It dates back to Roman times, when it was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun from July 3 to August 11, creating exceptionally high temperatures.
An adult dog has 42 teeth.
If a dog isn’t spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate and their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years. WOW … all the more reason to spay and neuter!
The most successful mountain rescue dog ever was a St Bernard named Barry, who lived during the early 1800s and saved 40 lives.
It was recently discovered that dogs do see in color, just not as vivid as we see.
Nearly all but two breeds of dogs have pink tongues: the Chow Chow and the Shar-pei both have black tongues.
The poodle haircut was originally meant to improve the dog’s swimming abilities as a retriever, with the pom-poms left in place to warm their joints.
The Basenji is the only bark-less dog in the world.
Greyhounds can reach a speed of up to 45 miles per hour.
When a puppy is born, he is blind, deaf and toothless.
All dogs, regardless of breed, are direct descendants of wolves and technically of the same species.
The top five favorite breeds of dogs in the U.S. are: Labrador retriever, golden retriever, German shepherd, beagle, and dachshund.
Come see us at the Central Aroostook Humane Society. You may find the pet you are looking for. We have some wonderful animals looking for forever homes. We are located at 26 Cross Street in Presque Isle and our hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., closed 12-12:30 p.m. for lunch.
Please be responsible — spay and neuter your pets!
Gail Wieder is a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Aroostook Humane Society.
