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The United States has more dogs than any other country in the world. We have days, weeks and months dedicated to our loveable canine companions.
- January is Train Your Dog Month
- February has Walking the Dog Day
- In March you’ll find K-9 Veterans Day and National Puppy Day
- April is National Adopt a Greyhound Month and Bulldogs are Beautiful Day
- May has Purebred Dog Day and Mayday for Mutts
- In June we have a day to Take Your Dog to Work
- July we celebrate National Mutt Day
- August has National Dog Day
- In September we do one better and celebrate National Dog Week
- October is Adopt-A-Dog Month with specific days to celebrate Fire Pups and Black Dogs
- November brings the National Dog Show
Our dogs are members of our families. We celebrate their birthdays. We capture and share their adorable antics. We share their adventures with our work families on Monday mornings. We sign their names on greeting cards.
Dogs have been our faithful companions for thousands of years for thousands of reasons. Dogs are the most diverse looking species of mammals around. There are more than 150 dog breeds, divided into 8 classes: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, herding, and miscellaneous.
- The Basenji is the only breed of dog that can’t bark, but they can yodel!
- The Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog that has six toes on each foot!
- Bloodhounds are able to trace scents that are over 300 hours old.
- Newfoundlands are excellent swimmers because they have webbed feet.
- Dalmatian puppies are born completely white and develop their spots over time!
- Nearly all but two breeds of dogs have pink tongues: the Chow Chow and the Shar-pei both have black tongues.
- Greyhounds can reach a speed of up to 45 miles per hour.
References to dogs are found throughout human history, from the bible to the stars.
- 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.
- Dogs are mentioned 44 times in the Bible – 35 times in the Old Testament and 9 in the New Testament
Our dogs are smart. They can understand words, our expressions, and our moods. The top 5 smartest breeds are:
- Border Collies
- Poodles
- German Shepherds
- Golden Retrievers
- Dobermans
America’s favorite the Labrador retriever comes in at number seven.
Google “something about dogs” and you’ll get more than 600 million results in under half a second with anything and everything you wanted to know about dogs.
- The “smell-center” in a dog’s brain is 40 times larger than yours.
- No two dog noses are exactly alike
- Dogs sweat through their paws
- You can lower your blood pressure just by petting your pup
- Corgi is Welsh for “dwarf dog.”
- Dogs have wet noses because it helps to absorb scent chemicals.
- A dog can hear sounds four times farther away than you can.
- Fido is Latin for fidelity
- Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic
- Dogs are right or left handed, just like we are
- An adult dog has 42 teeth
Celebrate your love of dogs during National Dog Week starting September 23, 2018.
BY MARY ELLEN KOSANKE
Sources: https://www.dogtipper.com/fun/pet-holidays https://www.buzzfeed.com/kaelintully/o-yea-o-yea-o-yea-go-dogs-do-your-sweet-thaaang?utm_term=.aa9xKXAol#.qu31jE2DM https://www.livescience.com/13305-facts-dog-breeds-genetics-pets.html https://www.rd.com/advice/pets/dog-facts-you-didnt-know/ http://trupanion.com/blog/2013/02/41-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-your-dog/ https://www.mspca.org/pet_resources/interesting-facts-about-dogs/