More Facts That You Might Not About Dogs..

1. Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs
2. An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner's will
3. 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
4. Dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them
5. 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
6. 70% of people sign their pet's name on greeting and holiday cards
7. 58% put pets in family and holiday portraits
8. There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world - perhaps the rarest breed
9. 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.
10. Dogs have no sense of "time"
11. Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years
12. The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound
13. The world's smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua
14. The St. Bernard is the heaviest
15. Only dogs and humans have prostates
16. But dogs do not have an appendix
17. Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus - a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago
18. The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
19. In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite
20. ... while JFK's terrir, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika's daughter
21. An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark
22. There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs
23. Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers
24. The world's smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever
25. ... while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound
26. A dog's smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human's
27. ... which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human's.
28. Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape
29. Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill
30. George Washington had thirty six dogs - all foxhounds - with one named Sweetlips
31. All dogs are identical in anatomy - 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth
32. Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds
33. Female dogs are only ready to mate - "in heat" - twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days
34. Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks
35. Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood dog star
36. ... and he really signed his movie contracts - all 22 of them - with a pawprint
37. The Wizard of Oz's Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry
38. Up until the late 1800's, Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs
39. Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people
40. The longer a dog's nose, the more effective it's internal cooling system
41. An elderly woman was saved by her 12 pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80 pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches
42. 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
43. Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves
44. Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertal offspring
45. Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups
46. Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology
47. Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they're born
48. Dogs' sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human's
49. Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.
50. The earliest dog fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.
51. Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously
52. Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.
53. The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes
54. Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws
55. All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock - from 3 month old puppies, all the way up to thirteen year old poodles
56. A dog's heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute
57. The oldest dog on record - a Queensland "Heeler" named Bluey - was 29 years, 5 months old
58. Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport
59. Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen
60. Dogs live 15 years on average
61. Many foot disorders inn dogs are simply an issue of long toenails
62. More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year
63. More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog
64. Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees
65. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care
66. Dogs are natural pack animals
67. They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status - human or canine
68. Dogs instinctively require the pack leader's approval
69. Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don't make good pets
70. The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered
71. After birth, puppies' eyes do not fully open until they're about 12 days old
72. Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month