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I was “Stumbling” the other day and came across this really cool fact sheet about dogs on Random History. I found a lot of these to be familiar and others not so much. I hope you enjoy them!

99 Fun Facts about Dogs

All dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis which dwelled in trees and dens. The Miacis later evolved into the Tomarctus, a direct forbearer of the genus Canis, which includes the wolf and jackal as well as the dog.g Ancient Egyptians revered their dogs. When a pet dog would die, the owners shaved off their eyebrows, smeared mud in their hair, and mourned aloud for days.b Small quantities of grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in dogs. Chocolate, macadamia nuts, cooked onions, or anything with caffeine can also be harmful.c Apple and pear seeds contain arsenic, which may be deadly to dogs.c Rock star Ozzy Osborne saved his wife Sharon’s Pomeranian from a coyote by tackling and wresting the coyote until it released the dog.d Dogs have sweat glands in between their paws.e In 2003, Dr. Roger Mugford invented the “wagometer” a device that claims to interpret a dog’s exact mood by measuring the wag of its tail.d Dogs have three eyelids. The third lid, called a nictitating membrane or “haw,” keeps the eye lubricated and protected.i A dog’s shoulder blades are unattached to the rest of the skeleton to allow greater flexibility for running.e Puppies are sometimes rejected by their mother if they are born by cesarean and cleaned up before being given back to her.c The phrase “raining cats and dogs” originated in seventeenth-century England. During heavy rainstorms, many homeless animals would drown and float down the streets, giving the appearance that it had actually rained cats and dogs.d During the Middle Ages, Great Danes and Mastiffs were sometimes suited with armor and spiked collars to enter a battle or to defend supply caravans.h Pekingese and Japanese Chins were so important in the ancient Far East that they had their own servants and were carried around trade routes as gifts for kings and emperors. Pekingese were even worshipped in the temples of China for centuries.b The shape of a dog’s face suggests how long it will live. Dogs with sharp, pointed faces that look more like wolves typically live longer. Dogs with very flat faces, such as bulldogs, often have shorter lives.d After the fall of Rome, human survival often became more important than breeding and training dogs. Legends of werewolves emerged during this time as abandoned dogs traveling in packs commonly roamed streets and terrified villagers.d During the Middle Ages, mixed breeds of peasants’ dogs were required to wear blocks around their necks to keep them from breeding with noble hunting dogs. Purebred dogs were very expensive and hunting became the province of the rich.d The most dogs ever owned by one person were 5,000 Mastiffs owned by Kubla Khan.d The American Kennel Club, the most influential dog club in the United States, was founded in 1884.e The most popular male dog names are Max and Jake. The most popular female dog names are Maggie and Molly.d Scholars have argued over the metaphysical interpretation of Dorothy’s pooch, Toto, in the Wizard of Oz. One theory postulates that Toto represents Anubis, the dog-headed Egyptian god of death, because Toto consistently keeps Dorothy from safely returning home.d Weird dog laws include allowing police offers in Palding, Ohio, to bite a dog to quiet it. In Ventura County, California, cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit.d The first dog chapel was established in 2001. It was built in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, by Stephan Huneck, a children’s book author whose five dogs helped him recuperate from a serious illness.c Those born under the sign of the dog in Chinese astrology are considered to be loyal and discreet, though slightly temperamental.h In Iran, it is against the law to own a dog as a pet. However, if an owner can prove the dog is a guard or hunting dog, this restriction doesn’t apply. Muslim reticence concerning dogs is perhaps due to the fact that rabies has always been endemic in the Middle East.d The Mayans and Aztecs symbolized every tenth day with the dog, and those born under this sign were believed to have outstanding leadership skills.d The ancient Mbaya Indians of the Gran Chaco in South America believed that humans originally lived underground until dogs dug them up.b Plato once said that “a dog has the soul of a philosopher.”d French poodles did not originate in France but in Germany (“poodle” comes from the German pudel or pudelhund, meaning “splashing dog”). Some scholars speculate the poodle’s puffs of hair evolved when hunters shaved the poodle for more efficient swimming, while leaving the pom-poms around the major joints to keep them warm.b The name of the dog on the Cracker Jacks box is Bingo. The Taco Bell Chihuahua is a rescued dog named Gidget.d The first dogs were self-domesticated wolves which, at least 12,000 years ago, became attracted to the first sites of permanent human habitation.f Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens.d Laiki, a Russian stray, was the first living mammal to orbit the Earth, in the Soviet Sputnik spacecraft in 1957. Though she died in space, her daughter Pushnika had four puppies with President John F. Kennedy’s terrier, Charlie.d Dalmatians are completely white at birth.d The term “dog days of summer” was coined by the ancient Greeks and Romans to describe the hottest days of summer that coincided with the rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.b Alexander the Great is said to have founded and named a city Peritas, in memory of his dog.b In ancient Greece, kennels of dogs were kept at the sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus. Dogs were frequently sacrificed there because they were plentiful, inexpensive, and easy to control. During the July 25 celebration of the kunophontis (“the massacre of dogs”) dog sacrifices were performed to appease the ancestors of Apollo’s son, Linos, who was devoured by dogs.g Dog trainers in ancient China were held in high esteem. A great deal of dog domestication also took place in China, especially dwarfing and miniaturization.d The ancient religion Zoroastrianism includes in its religious text titled the Zend Avesta a section devoted to the care and breeding of dogs.b The earliest European images of dogs are found in cave paintings dating back 12,000 years ago in Spain.g The dog was frequently depicted in Greek art, including Cerberus, the three-headed hound guarding the entrance to the underworld, and the hunting dogs which accompanied the virgin goddess of the chase, Diana.b During the Renaissance, detailed portraits of the dog as a symbol of fidelity and loyalty appeared in mythological, allegorical, and religious art throughout Europe, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Diego Velázquez, Jan van Eyck, and Albrecht Durer.b A puppy is born blind, deaf, and toothless.c The Basenji is the world’s only barkless dog.e A dog most likely interprets a smiling person as baring their teeth, which is an act of aggression.f The origin of amputating a dog’s tail may go back to the Roman writer Lucius Columella’s (A.D. 4-70) assertion that tail docking prevented rabies.d One of Shakespeare’s most mischievous characters is Crab, the dog belonging to Launce in the Two Gentlemen of Verona. The word “watchdog” is first found in The Tempest.d President Franklin Roosevelt created a minor international incident when he claimed he sent a destroyer to the Aleutian Islands just to pick up his Scottish Terrier, Fala, who had been left behind.d Within hours of the September 11, 2001, attack the World Trade Center, specially trained dogs were on the scene, including German Shepherds, Labs, and even a few little Dachshunds.d It costs approximately $10,000 to train a federally certified search and rescue dog.d The smallest dog on record was a matchbox-size Yorkshire Terrier. It was 2.5″ tall at the shoulder, 3.5″ from nose tip to tail, and weighed only 4 ounces.d Hollywood’s first and arguably best canine superstar was Rin Tin Tin, a five-day-old German Shepherd found wounded in battle in WWI France and adopted by an American soldier, Lee Duncan. He would sign his own contracts with his paw print.d At the end of WWI, the German government trained the first guide dogs for war-blinded soldiers.d A dog can locate the source of a sound in 1/600 of a second and can hear sounds four times farther away than a human can.c Touch is the first sense the dog develops. The entire body, including the paws, is covered with touch-sensitive nerve endings.e Eighteen muscles or more can move a dog’s ear.e The names of 77 ancient Egyptian dogs have been recorded. The names refer to color and character, such as Blackie, Ebony, Good Herdsman, Reliable, and Brave One.d In Egypt, a person bitten by a rabid dog was encouraged to eat the roasted liver of a dog infected with rabies to avoid contracting the disease. The tooth of a dog infected with rabies would also be put in a band tied to the arm of the person bitten. The menstrual blood of a female dog was used for hair removal, while dog genitals were used for preventing the whitening of hair.h In early Christian tradition, Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, is sometimes depicted with a dog’s head.g The oldest known dog bones were found in Asia and date as far back as 10,000 B.C. The first identifiable dog breed appeared about 9000 B.C. and was probably a type of Greyhound dog used for hunting.g There are an estimated 400 million dogs in the world.d The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world. France has the second highest.d Dog nose prints are as unique as human finger prints and can be used to identify them.c Bloodhound dogs have a keen sense of smell and have been used since the Middle Ages to track criminals.e It is much easier for dogs to learn spoken commands if they are given in conjunction with hand signals or gestures.a Dogs in a pack are more likely to chase and hunt than a single dog on its own. Two dogs are enough to form a pack.a Dogs can see in color, though they most likely see colors similar to a color-blind human. They can see better when the light is low.c Petting dogs is proven to lower blood pressure of dog owners.a Dogs have lived with humans for over 14,000 years. Cats have lived with people for only 7,000 years.h Zorba, an English mastiff, is the biggest dog ever recorded. He weighed 343 pounds and measured 8′ 3″ from his nose to his tail.d The average dog can run about 19 mph. Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on Earth and can run at speeds of 45 mph.c One female dog and her female children could produce 4,372 puppies in seven years.c The most popular dog breed in Canada, U.S., and Great Britain is the Labrador retriever.d Greyhounds appear to be the most ancient dog breed. “Greyhound” comes from a mistake in translating the early German name Greishund, which means “old (or ancient) dog,” not from the color gray.g The oldest dog on record was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey who lived 29 years and 5 months. In human years, that is more than 160 years old.d Most experts believe humans domesticated dogs before donkeys, horses, sheep, goats, cattle, cats, or chickens.h A person standing still 300 yards away is almost invisible to a dog. But a dog can easily identify its owner standing a mile away if the owner is waving his arms.i Dogs with big, square heads and large ears (like the Saint Bernard) are the best at hearing subsonic sounds.c Dogs can smell about 1,000 times better than humans. While humans have 5 million smell-detecting cells, dogs have more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is also four times larger in dogs than in humans.a Some dogs can smell dead bodies under water, where termites are hiding, and natural gas buried under 40 feet of dirt. They can even detect cancer that is too small to be detected by a doctor and can find lung cancer by sniffing a person’s breath.c Dogs have a wet nose to collect more of the tiny droplets of smelling chemicals in the air.i Dogs like sweets a lot more than cats do. While cats have around only 473 taste buds, dogs have about 1,700 taste buds. Humans have approximately 9,000.a Different smells in the a dog’s urine can tell other dogs whether the dog leaving the message is female or male, old or young, sick or healthy, happy or angry.a Male dogs will raise their legs while urinating to aim higher on a tree or lamppost because they want to leave a message that they are tall and intimidating. Some wild dogs in Africa try to run up tree trunks while they are urinating to appear to be very large.a In Croatia, scientists discovered that lampposts were falling down because a chemical in the urine of male dogs was rotting the metal.a Dogs are about as smart as a two- or three-year-old child. This means they can understand about 150-200 words, including signals and hand movements with the same meaning as words.a Countess Karlotta Libenstein of Germany left approximately $106 million to her Alsatin, Gunther III, when she died in 1992.d A lost Dachshund was found swallowed whole in the stomach of a giant catfish in Berlin on July 2003.d In Australia, a man who was arrested for drug possession argued his civil rights were violated when the drug-sniffing dog nuzzled his crotch. While the judge dismissed the charges, they were later reinstated when a prosecutor pointed out that in the animal kingdom, crotch nuzzling was a friendly gesture.d The Beagle came into prominence in the 1300s and 1400s during the days of King Henry VII of England. Elizabeth I was fond of Pocket Beagles, which were only 9″ high.d The best dog to reportedly attract a date is the Golden Retriever. The worst is the Pit Bull.d The Akita is one of the most challenging dogs to own. Some insurance companies have even characterized it as the #1 “bad dog” and may even raise an Akita owner’s homeowner insurance costs.d The Beagle and Collie are the nosiest dogs, while the Akbash Dog and the Basenji are the quietest.d One survey reports that 33 percent of dog owners admit they talk to their dogs on the phone or leave messages on answering machines while they are away.d Thirty percent of all Dalmatians are deaf in one or both ears. Because bulldogs have extremely short muzzles, many spend their lives fighting suffocation. Because Chihuahuas have such small skulls, the flow of spinal flow can be restricted, causing hydrocephalus, a swelling of the brain.d The grief suffered after a pet dog dies can be the same as that experienced after the death of a person.a There are almost 5 million dog bites per year; children are the main victims. Dog bites cause losses of over $1 billion a year.d A person should never kick a dog facing him or her. Some dogs can bite 10 times before a human can respond.d The most intelligent dogs are reportedly the Border Collie and the Poodle, while the least intelligent dogs are the Afghan Hound and the Basenji.d One kind of Pekingese is referred to as a “sleeve” because it was bred to fit into a Chinese empress’ sleeves, which was how it was often carried around.d Posted February 15, 2009 References a Bailey, Gwen. 2002. What Is My Dog Thinking? San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press. b Brewer, Douglas, Terence Clark, and Adrian Philips. 2001. Dogs in Antiquity: Anubis to Cerebrus The Origins of the Domestic Dog. Warminster, UK: Aris & Phillips. c Budiansky, Stephen. 2000. The Truth About Dogs: An Inquiry into the Ancestory, Social Conventions, Mental Habits, and Moral Fiber of Canis familiaris.New York, NY: Penguin Putnum, Inc. d Choron, Harry and Sandra Choron. 2005. Planet Dog: A Doglopedia. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co. e Coren, Stanley. 2004. How Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind. New York, NY: Free Press. f Fogle, Bruce D.V. M. 1995. The Encyclopedia of the Dog. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc. g Merlen, R. H. A. 1971. De Canibus: Dog and Hound in Antiquity. London, UK: J. A. Allen & Co. Ltd. h Riddle, Maxwell. 1987. Dogs throughout History. Fairfax, VA: Denlinger’s Publisher, Ltd. i Stefoff, Rebecca. 2003. Dogs. New York, NY: Benchmark Books.

“No man can be condemned for owning a dog. As long as he has a dog, he has a friend; and the poorer he gets, the better friend he has.”    – Will Rogers

It saddens our hearts to hear about dog fighting and any type of cruelty. I just read today about a second dog fighting ring in Georgia being busted with the assistance of the ASPCA. I want to share the story, it’s one of the milder ones. Please help to spread the word, and if you know or suspect someone of any type of cruelty, please report it.

ASPCA Leads Second Dog Fighting Bust in Georgia

For the second time in a week, the ASPCA helped respond to a suspected dog fighting ring in rural Georgia. On February 21, five days after the ASPCA rescued 26 alleged fighting dogs left to die in Sandersville, GA; the Washington County Sheriff’s Department received a second tip.

The anonymous call led deputies to a property in the East Sandersville section of Washington County, GA. When the Washington County Sheriff’s Department arrived, two dogs were in the act of fighting and three men fled the scene. ASPCA Investigators helped secure the scene and found nine other dogs on the property. Eight of the dogs found were severely underweight and some of the dogs were suffering from various skin ailments.

On February 16, the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team along with Washington County officials rescued 24 dogs and recovered the remains of 6 others and identified a total of over two dozen grave sites. While the two cases are very similar in nature, authorities believe they are unrelated.

“The second tip came in because the witness had seen the first case on television news reports,” says ASPCA Senior Vice President of Anti-Cruelty, Matt Bershadker. “This just proves the importance of reporting cruelty and the fact that it inspires others to take action as well.”

Authorities have two suspects in custody in conjunction with the East Sandersville case. Other arrests and animal cruelty charges are anticipated. The dogs from East Sandersville have since joined the two dozen others at an emergency shelter, where officials from the ASPCA and United Animal Nations are caring for their immediate needs. The dogs from both cases are being provided with all necessary medical care and are in the process of undergoing behavioral assessments.

For the latest information about the rescued dogs or for information on how you can report cruelty, please visit ASPCA.org.

From beasts we scorn as soulless,
In forest, field and den,
The cry goes up to witness
The soullessness of men.
~M. Frida Hartley

We didn’t plan on adopting a new dog as quickly as we did after our sweet Sammie passed away. Ok, so I was definitely keeping an even sharper eye out for strays than I usually do, but that was really it.

I decided to write a blog on the rescue groups in our area. I was checking the links to make sure that they connected correctly. I started casually looking at all of the pictures and reading the little paragraphs that each rescue group puts down for each dog. That’s when I saw Josie (her name was Missy then)….I had to meet her.

My husband, Denny and I had a trip planned, so I contacted the rescue group, Georgia Humane Society, asked them a few questions about Missy/Josie, and told them that we wouldn’t be back in town until the next week, but that we would like to meet her.

Josie’s story before the rescue group liberated her is unclear. A kind soul from Georgia Humane pulled Josie out of  Carrollton Animal Control a while before we met her. We do know that she had survived a terrible virus, Parvovirus, that she had been adopted by someone who decided for one reason or the other to return her, and, she’s a happy-go-lucky dog who got along great with the other dogs in her foster mom’s home.

When we met Josie a week and a half later in Newnan, GA, she met Jake and Gizmo with puppy-ish excitement. Jake didn’t know what to think and Gizmo didn’t seem too happy either. She was extremely rambunctious, but we wanted to give her a chance. Jake tends to be stand-offish with new dogs and Gizmo is a bit bossy, so we couldn’t judge this on a first time meeting in a Petsmart parking lot!  We decided to “Foster to Adopt,” giving us the option of changing our minds if she didn’t fit in or if she wasn’t good with the cats.

Josie was great in the car, very calm. It’s about an hour drive, but we decided to stop at my sister’s house (Laura Fields of  BabySteps ) in Powder Springs to see how Josie does with our 5 and 3 year old nieces. She was super sweet with Maddie and Grace and got along fine with Laura’s elderly sheltie, Buddy (RIP, Buddy). Big score for Josie!

When we got her home, we followed the “rules” of introducing a new dog to your home for the first time. First of all, we took her, Jake and Gizmo on a nice, long walk. For more “rules” of introducing your new dog to your home, try this link: Dog Rescue Network.

After our walk, we brought Josie inside to see how she did with the cats and how her manners were. She was a little exuberant, but she’s practically a puppy (1.5 years old), and in a new situation. Our first mistake was leaving out all of the dog toys. We had a large container full of toys that Jake and Gizmo were allowed to play with at their will.

Everything was ok the first couple of days, but we noticed that Josie was giving Jake some pretty sketchy and sideways looks, especially around toys. Then, Gizmo was kind of throwing around a toy and Josie “jumped” on him. She didn’t bite him hard enough to make any marks, but it was loud and kind of scary. A few more incidents occured, mostly with Jake.  Josie could have all of the toys, and Jake would be playing with one. She would leave hers, run to Jake and bite his neck and grab the toy and take it to the rest of her toys. The last time this happened was about two months ago and it was over, get this, a pair of shorts. That’s when we started reading up and trying to figure out where we went wrong so we could fix it! We were starting to think that we may have adopted the wrong dog….we were completely off base.

We decided to pick up all toys and only let the dogs play with them when Denny or I had the time to be completely involved with their playtime. We haven’t had another incident, it was that simple. In fact, Josie, Jake and Gizmo play together like crazy maniacs (without toys) and not an issue has arisen. Josie’s progress was amazing and continues to be.

Here is a list of some of the books that we read to help us:

The Loved Dog, by Tamara Geller

It’s Me or the Dog, by Victoria Stilwell

Mine! A Practical Guide To Resource Guarding in Dogs, by Jean Donaldson

Be the Pack Leader, by Cesar Millan

The Dog Listener, by Jan Fennell

“It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.” ~Unknown

Hey everyone! I hope your Labor Day weekend is safe and fun!

I just want to remind you to make your reservations early for the holidays, whether you are boarding your pet or using a professional pet sitter. Our schedules fill up fast and it is no fun to scramble at the last minute.

I hope to hear from you soon! I just love your pets!

“All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.” ~ Samuel Butler