Numbers

               

How many dogs are in the world? Right now there are about 400 million worldwide.  The majority are in the U.S., France comes in second.

There are 77 million dogs of all different breeds (purebred and mixed) in the U.S. - This is the combined human population of California, Texas and Illinois.

A typical dog's mouth puts forth 150 to 200 pounds of pressure per square inch. Some can apply up to 450 pounds.

A “pack” of dogs can be as small as 2 of them.

A Greyhound can run up to 45 mph, a normal dog can reach 19 mph.  A Greyhound can beat an Arabic horse in a race!

If you take 1 dam (female) and her female puppies, over the span of just 7 years, it is technically possible for them to produced 4, 372 pups.

A dog in Germany gave birth to 1 litter of  17 puppies.

More than 5 million puppies are born in the United States yearly.

A female can be pregnant with pups from 2 different sires, if they both mate with her within 3 days.

77 different dog names have been found among ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics including Blackie, Good Herdsman and Brave One.

The normal body temperature for a dog is 101.2 ° Fahrenheit, but when a dam is going into labor, her temperature will drop.

Dogs have twice as many muscles for moving their ears as humans do.  18 different ones are involved when a dog moves their ear(s).

Dogs can hear sounds 250 yards away, we can only hear sounds about 25 yards away.

A dog’s heartbeat is fast compared to a person’s.   Theirs is between 70 and 120 beat per minute, ours are just between 70 and 80.

A dog cannot see nor identify a person who is standing 300 yards away. Yet, if their owner is standing up to a mile away and waving his or her hands, the dog can identify them right away.

By smelling a person’s breath, some dogs can detect cancer.  They can also find  the locations of termites and subversive natural gas.

Humans have 9,000 taste buds, dogs have 1,700….But cats have only 473.

A dog can learn up to 200 words and understand simple sentences when those words are put together.

An adult dog has 42 permanent teeth in their mouth. They can have tooth loss as they age into seniors; most can be prevented by daily brushings starting at a young age.

All breeds have 321 bones, humans adults have 206.

33% of people have admitted to speaking to their dogs out loud and/or talking to them through the answering machine when away from home.

33% of Dalmatians are deaf in one or both ears
 
88% of dog owners say their dog stays right beside them while they watch television.

58% of people include their pets when it is time to have family portraits taken. 

A German Shepherd that was used as a guide dog for the blind, led a woman 2100 miles over the Appalachian Trail.

Kubla Khan owed the most dogs ever recorded, he had 5000 Mastiffs.

The bible mentions dogs 14 times.

An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the United States are set to inherit money, as they have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner’s will.

A survey conducted in Australia showed that  7 out of 10 Australians believe their dogs are more dependable than their partner; and  8 out of 10 said they are more loving.

There are over 700 types of purebred dogs; the number slowly grows as hybrids are accepted as purebreds.  All dog breeds were hybrids long ago, as breeding was done to gradually produce distinctive breeds.

In Germany and Switzerland, only 1 out of 10 families have a dog.

80% of owners celebrate their dog’s birthday and other holidays.

55% sign cards for them.

The biggest dog every recorded in history was named Zorba, an Old English Mastiff who was 343 pounds and a shocking  8 feet and 3 inches long (measured from his nose to his tail).

Even though the Chihuahua is the smallest breed, a Yorkshire Terrier was the smallest dog ever recorded.  Amazingly, he was only 4 ounces as a full grown adult and was only 2 and ½ inches tall.

One of the best working dogs ever was named Snag, who helped United States Customs  make 118 drug seizures that totaled 810 million dollars.

For the record of who caught the most drugs in just 1 year, the honors go to 2 dogs who work together: Rocky and Barco. Together they worked along the Texas/Mexican border and caught 969 shipments trying to be smuggled across. It is said that Mexican drug lords had a bounty on them…36 thousand if caught dead or alive!

Ability & Behavior

Your dog can read your facial expressions!  And they have a wide range of expressions themselves…This is one main way that they communicate with other dogs.

Dogs are so perceptive that they can recognize a person just by the sound of their footsteps.

Ever wonder why so many dogs like to chew on an owner’s underwear? It is because it has a strong scent of that person. Wonder why dogs do the things they do? Click here!
 
Studies have shown that when someone pets a dog, their blood pressure goes down.

In England, Cambridge researchers discovered that within a month of taking a dog into their home, new owners reported a highly significant reduction in minor ailments.  

At Warwick University, a study found that people who were poor at making friends, confiding in others and showing love were able to lavish affection on their dog.

A Japanese animal hospital study of people over 65 found that pet owners made 30% fewer visits to doctors than those who did not have pets.

At the Baker Medical Research Institute in Australia, a study of 6000 patients revealed that those with dogs had lower blood pressure, a lower cholesterol level and as a result of that they had a lower risk of heart attack.

Experts say that part of the reason that dogs help us regarding our health is that just their presence reduces a person's blood pressure.  

Studies have shown that children who have trouble walking make astonishing efforts to maintain their balance so that they can play with a dog.

Some prisons encourage inmates to keep dogs as pets because it has been shown to bring about long-term changes in attitudes and behavior...with dogs, some prisoners find out for the first time what it's like to give and receive affection.

Dogs know what time it is, just by depending on what is known as their “internal clock”. They body and mind tells them when it is time to eat, when to expect their owner to come home and when to go to sleep, among other things.

The Basset Hound breed cannot swim at all.

When a dog howls at the moon, he or she is following a basic instinct to call the pack together (even if there is no pack!)

A dog will be loyal to you and love you because you give companionship and friendship to them. (But they also need for you to feed them and take them to the bathroom!)

When a dog chases a car, they see it driving away and this causes them think that they accomplish their goal of chasing it away…This makes the dog to want to do it over and over again, since they did it “right” the first time.

A dog can suffer from a poor self-image, just like humans. This has been proven with dogs who have had their fur painted, they often act embarrassed and do not want to go outside as usual.

Dogs need to have their teeth cleaned at home, 1 time a day, but also need to see a “dog dentist” for a “full dental” in order to prevent infection and/or tooth loss.

Dogs can see much better at night than we can. This is because they have a layer behind their eyes, called the tapetum lucidum. It reflects light and this is why you may see a dog’s eyes shining in the dark.

Each dog’s nose print is as unique as a person’s fingerprints.

Dogs can make themselves throw up by purposely eating grass.

Dogs DO see in color – It is comparable to how we perceive color just at sunset.

In African, there is a type of  wolf dog called a basenji that does not have the ability to bark.

In the U.S. and Canada, the most widely owned breed is the Labrador Retriever.

When a dog smells another dog’s urine, they immediately know: The gender, the age, the healthy and the mood of the other canine.

A huge catfish swallow a dog, a Dachshund (hot dog doggie) in 2003.  The pooch was found after the fish was caught and cut open.

To appear approachable, the best dog to be seen with is the Golden Retrieve…The worst, a Pit Bull.
 
The largest dog breed is called an Irish Wolfhound and the smallest is the Chihuahua.

The Chihuahua comes from Mexico, which has a state with the same name. It is thought that the ancient Aztecs first domesticated this breed.

The heaviest breed is the St. Bernard.

Dogs dream, according to recent studies.

Boxers were named for how they appear to be boxing, by moving their front paws when playing.

The shape of a dog’s face can be a sign of how long they will live.  Those with longer faces normally live longer…Those with shorter muzzles with in general live shorter lives.

  See Also:
  Puppy Facts - Facts just about puppies and newborns. Read all about what they are like at this age.

  Dog Training Facts - Excellent step-by-step facts for owners of pups and dogs! ~ Very helpful.

  Why Do Dogs Do Things? -  No extra words, just the FACTS. Learn exactly why dogs do the things they do!


Laws

There is a law in Ohio that allows a police officer to bite a dog is he or she thinks that it will quiet it down.

In Ventura County, in California there is a law that prohibits any dogs from mating without the owners first having a permit...this is done to limit inexperienced breeding.

In Iran, one is not allowed to own a dog as a pet.  The catch is that if the owner uses the dog to guard the home or to use for hunting, they are allowed.
 
China is attempting to limit their dog population by allowing each household to have only 1 pet. '

Astrology

Even in astrology, dogs are a force to be reckoned with and there is more than a little truth in the saying that "Every dog has his day"...There are 40 dog days between July 3rd and August 11, when Sirius, the Dog Star, rises and sets with the sun.  The superstition that Sirius greatly influenced the canine race is found in Greek literature, as far back as Hesiod in the 8th century BC.

Events

The very first dog chapel was erected in Vermont in 2001 by Mr. Huneck, an authoer who claims his dogs saved his live when he was sick. It is not clear how they did this…perhaps by companionship…?

In modern history, dogs of every single breed have been caught attaching livestock. This includes a range of 3 week olds to seniors… from Chihuahuas to Boxers…at some point, every dog breed has had a “point man” attack a sheep or cow.

The largest dog show in the world is the Crufts, held in London each year since 1886, with the exception of 1918-20 and 1940-47 when it was temporarily cancelled. In 1936 it attracted record breaking numbers...4388 dogs!

In 1957, Russia sent the first dog into space.  He was sent up in a satellite. No word on if he was returned.

Ancient Egyptians revered their dogs as much as their cats. When a pet dog would pass away, the owners shaved off the eyebrows, put mud in their fur, and performed a ritual for days to honor them.

Those in Ancient China are the most well known for specifically breeding dogs down to smaller sizes.

The origin of the practice of docking a dog’s tail is said to have come from Rome, circa 50 AD, when it was thought to prevent rabies.

Ozzy Osborne, the famous rocker once wrestled with a coyote that had a hold on his wife’s small Pomeranian.  Ozzy won the battle.

Only 3 dogs survived the Titanic: one was a Newfoundland, one a Pomeranian and one a Pekingese.

A tool that measures a dog’s mood by the way he or she moves their tail was invented by a man named Roger Mugford in 2003. No word on if the device actually worked.

The popular phrase of “it’s raining cats and dogs” was started in the 1600’s in England. This came about when there was a very heavy rainstorm that caused terrible flooding. This, in turn, caused some animals to be swept up….they were then seen floating in the water.
 
In the Middle Ages, both Great Danes and Mastiff dogs has armor put on them, along with collars with large spikes, and were sent into war…often to defend the army’s caravans.

Japanese Chins and Pekingese were so revered in the ancient Far East that they were given servants to wait on them and were always carried. They were also even honored in temples.

A Bull Terrier named .Rusty overwhelmed vets after managing to devour a pair of bicycle handle bars.

A 5 yr old Dachshund in the UK required surgery after swallowing 2 golf balls.

A couple in the UK were horrified and surprised when their dog’s veterinarian had to removed a handful of bolts and nuts from the stomach of the Basset Hound, Nelson.

Famous Dogs

The Taco Bell dog is a Chihuahua named Gidget, a female…which many are shocked to find out.

The dog that you see on a box of Cracker Jacks is named Bingo.

Rin-Tin-Tin was a famous dog during WWII. He was found during a battle in France and then an American soldier named Lee Duncan took him home.  He was so famous, that many people wanted his autographs, so his paw would be dipped in ink and then placed down on paper.

Former President Lyndon Johnson had two Beagles named “Him” and “Her”.

Davy Crockett owned a dog named Sport.

Snoopy, fictional star of the comic strip Peanuts was one famous imaginary dog! Peanuts was translated into 21 languages in 75 countries with over 355 million readers

Toto from the Wizard of Oz movie was a female Cairn Terrier named Terry.

Color

There is such a thing as lavender colored Pomeranian….It is a diluted blue, which is a diluted black. It is very rare.

White Boxer dogs are not officially recognized by the AKC, however 1 in 4 are white. However, deafness is a trait seen in many.

It costs tax payers about 10 grand to have dog trained to receive a federal certificate in search and rescue.

Chihuahuas can be 1 or more of 29 different hues.

Bites

There are about 5 million reported dog bites per year in the U.S, with children being the majority of victims.

German Shepherds are the breed that bites the most people.

Dog bites are the cause of 15 human deaths per year in the United States.

In general, dogs can bite 10 times faster than a person can respond.