Related stories

No Doubt about It Yan Can Cook in Beijing Family Outings Fun Choice of Chinaren's Attractions Decorate Your House with Traditional Chinese Furniture Picking a Beloved Piece of Classic Chinese Furniture

Fun Facts about Dogs

Dog History:

1. Dogs have been domesticated for 10,000 years, one of the first animals domesticated by humans.
2. The smallest mature dog was a Yorkshire terrier, 2.5 inches high at its shoulder.
3. The heaviest dog ever weighed 319 pounds.
4. The oldest dog ever died at age 29.
5. The tallest dog ever was a Great Dane that stood 41 inches high.
6. The first living creature to orbit the earth was a dog named Laika (which means "barker" in Russian); she blasted off aboard the Soviet Union's Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. With no way to bring her back to earth, she became the first creature to give her life for the exploration of space.
6. The last member of the famous Bonaparte family, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, died in 1945 of injuries sustained from tripping over his dog's leash.
7. Among the many animals that were part of Alexander the Great's entourage was his dog, Peritas. Alexander was only a boy of 11 when he got Peritas as a puppy. When Peritas died on a pass to India, Alexander named a city after him. His tomb and a statue of the dog were placed at its gate.
8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's most famous canine companion was his Scottish terrier, Fala, who is part of the Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. But few may realize that during Roosevelt's 12 years and one month as president, 11 dogs lived in the White House. They included a bull mastiff, two red setters, a retriever, a bulldog, a Llewellin setter, a Scotch terrier, a Great Dane, a sheepdog, and a German shepherd that tried to rip the pants off the British Prime Minister.

Dog Breeds:

1. Nearly all but two breeds of dogs have pink tongues. The two exceptions are the chow chow and the Shar Pei, both with black tongues.
2. 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.
3. The Basenji is the only barkless dog in the world.
4. That a year in a dog's life is the equivalent to that of seven of a human's is not exactly true. A more accurate calculation is as follows: At one year, a dog is the equivalent of 16 human years; at two dog years, they are 24 human years; at 3 dog years, 30 human years; and for every dog year after that, add 4 human years.
5. Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not colour blind; they can, in fact, see colour. However, their colour scheme is not as vivid as ours and can be likened to our vision at twilight.
6. All dogs, regardless of breed, are direct descendants of wolves and are technically of the same species.
7. Dogs are capable of locating the source of a sound in 6/100ths of a second by using their swivelling ears like radar dishes.
8. The United States and France have the most pet dogs. Almost one in three families in these countries owns a dog. Which countries have the fewest? Germany and Switzerland only have one dog for every ten families. They need more dogs!