FUN FACTS

Throughout history there has been an amazing relationship between mankind and dog.

• The dog was one of the first animals domesticated by humans.
• Mosaics meaning "Beware the Dog" would be found on doorsteps in ancient Roman cities.
  
• The world's first dog show was held in Britain in 1859.
  
• People in ancient China stayed warm by carrying toy breeds in their sleeves.
  
• The smallest mature dog was a Yorkshire Terrier that was 2 1/2 inches high at its shoulder.
  
• The heaviest dog ever weighed 319 pounds.
  
• The oldest dog ever died at age 29.
  
• The tallest dog ever was a Great Dane who stood 41 inches high.
  
• The first living creature sent into space was a female dog named Laika launched by the former USSR on November 3, 1957 (Whitehead et al. 1999).
  

Dog Breeds:

• As of 1977 the American Kennel Club recognized 121 breeds of dog.
  
• Breeds classified as hounds are not meant to hunt birds (Johnson 1977).
  
• There are six types of Dachshund.
  
• The British bred Basset Hounds to have short legs so hunters could keep up with them.
  
• The Basenji is also known as the African Barkless dog because it yodels instead of barking.
  
• The Basenji licks itself clean, like a cat.
  
• The Springer Spaniel was named for its ability to "spring", or startle, game.
  
• The Bedlington Terrier was a favorite of poachers and was known as the gypsy's dog.
  
• Bull Terriers were bred by crossing Bulldogs with terriers.
  
• Chow-Chows have blue-black tongues.
  
• Japanese Akitas declared champions of the breed have been declared national treasures in Japan since 1931.
  
• Schipperke means "Little Captain" in Flemish.
  
• There are four types of Belgian Shepherd Dogs that are identical except for their coat type and color.
  
• The Great Dane is the national dog of Germany.
  
• The coats of the Kopmondor and Pulli consist of cords formed when the outer and inner coats cling together.
  
• The Chihuahua is the smallest breed in the world.
  
• Commoners in Imperial China were forbidden to own Pekingese.

Jobs Dogs have done:

• Labrador Retrievers were originally bred to retrieve fishing nets.
  
• In the 19th century Dalmations defended carriages against highwaymen and kept away animals that could scare the horses.
  
• Monks used the Lhasa Apso as a guard dog in temples.
  
• Siberian Huskies have been used to herd reindeer in Siberia for 3000 years.
  
• Louis Doberman, a German tax-collector, created the Doberman breed in the late 1860s to protect him while he workeds.