F U N   A N I M A L   F A C T S

D O G S

There are approximately 68,000,000 owned dogs in the United States. On average, dog owners have almost two dogs (1.7)

One of the worlds oldest breeds of dog - The Saluki. It is thought to have been developed in ancient Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C.

Dog that can do the most tricks - Chanda-Leah (Canada), a toy poodle with a repertoire of 469 tricks, including playing the piano and fetching a tissue when someone sneezes.

Skydiving dogs - Brutus, a miniature Dachshund, jumped from a plane at a record height of 15,000 ft in May 1997.

Longest swim - Two Labradors (Kai and Gypsy)  swam 9.5 miles with their owner in Hawaii in 1995.

Smallest dog on record - A Yorkshire terrier measured just 2.5 inches tall at the shoulder and was 3.75 in long (about the size of a fist).

Smartest Dog Breeds -
1 Border collie
2 Poodle
3 German shepherd
4 Golden retriever
5 Doberman pinscher
6 Shetland sheepdog
7 Labrador retriever
8 Papillion
9 Rottweiler
10 Australian cattle dog

Contrary to popular belief, the first year of life to a dog is equivalent to 16 human years. After two years, they are equivalent to a 24 year old, at 3 years a 30 year old, and each year after, add 5 human years to determine your dog's age.

Small dogs usually live longer than larger breeds.

Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens.

The original reason behind the Poodle's "haircut" was to improve their swimming abilities as a retriever. The pom-poms were left to keep their joints warm.

The world's first space astronaut was a dog named Laika. The Russians sent Laika into space in an artificial earth satellite in 1957.

Dogs are considered color blind. The truth is, they really can see colors, although they are very faded. They also can't see the color green so most things to them appear blue, red, and purple.

A dog can hear sounds up to 250 yards away. That's 10 times better than a human who can only hear sounds up to 25 yards away.

C A T S

Besides smelling with their nose, cats can smell with an additional organ called the Jacobson's organ, located in the upper surface of the mouth

In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death

Cats lack a true collarbone. Because of this, cats can generally squeeze their bodies through any space they can get their heads through. You may have seen a cat testing the size of an opening by careful measurement with the head

Cats sleep 16 to 18 hours per day

A large majority of white cats with blue eyes are deaf. White cats with only one blue eye are deaf only in the ear closest to the blue eye. White cats with orange eyes do not have this disability

The most unique cat was born in Germany. It had five legs, six paws, and 3 toes.

The Domestic Cat, the Camel, and the Giraffe are the only animals who walk by moving both it's front and hind legs on one side, then the other.

Cat's have about 100 vocal sounds, dogs have about 10.

A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a humans heart, at 110-140 beats per minute.

Cat's need five times more protein than dogs.

One average sized can of cat food the equivalent of about five mice.

The oldest cat lived in England. It was 36 years old when it died one day after it's birthday.

The heaviest cat weighed 46 lbs 15 1/4 ounces, and had a waist of 33 inches.

The tiniest cat was 1 lb 16.8 oz fully grown. It was 7 1/4 " long and 2 3/4 " tall.

Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat.

Cat's can jump seven times the length of their tail.

O T H E R   A N I M A L   F A C T S

80% of pet owners in the U.S. & Canada give their pets holiday or birthday gifts.

54% would prefer their pet's company to that of a human if trapped on a deserted island.

33% call home to talk to their pets through their answering machine.

22% feel closer to their pets than their spouses.

Top 30 Pet Names -

 


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