Posts Tagged ‘dog fun facts’
Dogs in Mythology: Cerberus
In Greek mythology, Cerberus was a multiple-headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld, the kingdom of Hades. This terrifying beast prevented the deceased from leaving as well as the living from entering. Cerberus was said to have been born from the beasts Echidna and Typhon, with multiple dog heads, snake heads growing from…
Read MoreHow Many Human Years are in a Dog Year?
It is a well-accepted fact that a single dog year is equal to 7 human years. If your dog is 3 years old, that would mean that they are 21 in human years. Sounds about right! However, if you start translating the the age of a very young or older dog, this 1:7 ratio starts…
Read MoreThe Origin of Dog-Related Sayings
The history of humankind and dogs go way back, so it’s no surprise that many of our common phrases involve dogs! If you’re curious about the meanings of some of the less literal dog sayings and idioms, you’ve come to the right place. Dog Days of Summer The dog days of summer refer to…
Read MoreDog Dreams
Anyone who has been around a dog has probably noticed that they sleep very frequently. Dogs, on average, snooze approximately 12-14 hours per day, often off and on as opposed to humans’ all-at-once sleep schedule. Many dog caretakers have observed their dogs dreaming, sometimes even acting out their dreams by whining or “running” in their…
Read MoreThe Amazing Adaptations of Sled Dogs
A Brief History The use of dogs to pull sleds has been traced back to around 9,000 years ago through remains on Zhokhov Island in the East Siberian Sea. Archaeological analysis of dog remains showed that, by this time, the inhabitants of the island had domesticated two varieties of dogs: hunters and draft animals. Since…
Read MoreBreed Spotlight: Akita
History What the American Kennel Club recognizes as the “Akita” breed is what every other country recognizes as the “American Akita”. There is also a breed called the “Japanese Akita”, or “Akita Inu”, that is not recognized by the American Kennel Club. However, the American Akita and Akita Inu have a joint origin…
Read MoreWhy Do Dogs Tilt Their Heads?
Everyone knows what we’re talking about: that characteristic head tilt that dogs do where they appear to be confused. But are they confused? What’s actually going on when dogs do this? According to certified applied animal behaviorist Jill Goldman, Ph.D., it’s complicated. There are likely a variety of factors that contribute to this odd behavior,…
Read MoreBreed Spotlight: Swedish Vallhund
History The Swedish Vallhund is an ancient herding breed from Sweden whose origin story is a bit murky. It is likely that the breed arose over 1,000 years ago during the Viking settlement of England when they were known as the “Vikingarnas Dog”. During this time, these dogs were used as cattle drovers and…
Read MoreHow Smart Are Dogs?
Research on animal intelligence is slowly revealing that many species are actually more smart than we have previously believed. Dogs are certainly no exception. Even if you’re not one to keep up with canine scientific research, it’s likely you’ve recently seen a dog make headlines for exhibiting high intelligence, such as assisting in the recent…
Read MoreFamous Dogs In History: Snuppy, The First Cloned Dog
Since the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996, many other mammals have been cloned, including cows, cats, mice, pigs, rabbits, and more. One species that researchers were having trouble with was the dog. The challenge of cloning dogs was due to the difficulty of extracting their eggs and dogs’ short breeding window. It…
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