DOG GONE INTERESTING TID BITS ABOUT OUR CANINE FRIENDS
Taken from Animal Wellness Magazine – Comments by Allie Katz in italics
- We’ve all heard of the “dog days of summer,” but do you know where the term originated? The ancient Romans believed that Sirius, the dog star, gave off extreme heat during this period, making summer days hotter.
- Dalmatian puppies are born pure white. They don’t develop their black spots until adulthood.
- Dog collars are not a modern idea. There are images of dogs wearing collars in ancient Egyptian art.
I wonder what the ancients would think of today’s pop culture?
- The oldest known pure-bred dog is believed to be the Saluki. The ancient Egyptians used them for hunting and tracking.
- There is actually a breed of dog that can’t bark; it’s the Basenji.
Every time I go into my back yard, I wish my neighbors had one!
- Most dogs can understand about 250 words and gestures. That puts them in the intelligence category with 2-year old humans.
I don’t believe this. I could never get the positive responses from my 2-year-olds that I could get from my dogs!
- Dog’s whiskers can pick up subtle changes in air current, giving him/her information about the size, shape and speed of things nearby. That’s why your dog will bark at something or someone approaching in total darkness, even though you see nothing.
- Dogs can “smell” your emotions. This is because we exude a different smell according to our different feelings. Your sweat glands tell your dog when you’re afraid, nervous or having a bout of anxiety. They can also detect diseases and know when a woman is pregnant.
What this tid bit didn’t tell us is how your dog reacts to these various “emotion smells.” I’d say it’s a safe bet you’ve guessed what he’s thinking if he covers his nose with his paw and runs away howling, gets the deer-in-the-headlight look, or points a paw at you and makes breathy noises that sound a bit like laughter.
What about your tidbits. Share them with me and I will share them with our readers. Write to me at allie4katz@gmail.com See you next time. Allie
