Fun Dog Facts, History, and Record Breakers

A Russian dog named Laika was the first animal in space, traveling around Earth in 1957.

In 1969, Lassie was the first animal inducted into the Animal Hall of Fame.
Paul McCartney of the Beatles recorded a high-pitched whistle at the end of “A Day in the Life” for his dog.
A German Shepherd named Orient accompanied her blind owner Bill Irwin as he became the first blind person to through-hike the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail in 1990.
Thomas Jefferson helped enact a dog tax in Virginia, because he was annoyed that dogs were killing his sheep.
Revolutionary War soldiers sometimes brought their dogs with them into battle. Such was the case with George Washington and his dog, Sweet Lips.
The largest litter ever documented was 24 puppies, born via Cesarean to a Neapolitan Mastiff named Tia.
Three of the 12 dogs on the Titanic survived.

Sensory & Physical Capabilities
- Dogs can smell thousands of times better than humans. They have millions more scent receptors than humans. For example, a Dachshund's nose has 125 million scent receptors, while a human nose averages five million.
- Dogs have a remarkable ability to hear high-frequency sounds.
- Dogs have three eyelids, including one to keep their eyes moist and protected.
- Dogs have twice as many muscles to move their ears as humans.
- Similar to nose prints, dogs also have unique ear shapes and patterns. This can be used for identification purposes.
- Dogs have unique nose prints that are as unique as human fingerprints.
- The fastest breed, the Greyhound, can run up to 46 miles per hour.
- Dogs sweat through the pads of their feet.
- Dogs have 1,700 taste buds, compared to humans’ 9,000.
- A dog’s sense of smell is reduced by up to 40 percent when he’s overheated and panting.
- Dogs can see best at dawn and dusk.
- Dogs aren’t colorblind but their eyes don’t have receptors for red. They see in shades of black and white and also in shades of blue and yellow.
- Dogs have been employed in various roles throughout history, including hunting, herding, guarding, and even as therapy and service animals. Their versatility is remarkable.

Mental Capabilities
- Some dogs can learn more than 1,000 words.
- Dogs have dreams.
- Dogs are as smart as a two-year-old child.
- Dogs can be taught to count and solve simple math problems.
- Dogs have a “sixth sense.”
- Dogs have a sense of time.
Emotional Bonds with their owners
- Dogs can form strong emotional bonds with their owners.
- Petting dogs can lower your blood pressure.
- Dogs understand human emotions.
- Dogs communicate with humans and other dogs through a combination of vocalizations, body language, and facial expressions.

Dogs are descended from wolves. The split between the two types of animal occurred between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago.
The world’s oldest breed, the Saluki, originated in Egypt around 329 B.C.
Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, with evidence suggesting that the partnership between humans and dogs dates back at least 20,000 to 40,000 years
Dogs are mentioned in the Bible more than 35 times.
Spiked dog collars were used to protect dogs’ throats from wolf attacks in ancient Greece.
National Geographic’s Dr. Brady Barr measured a dog’s average bite force at 320 pounds of pressure per square inch.
Some dogs have been trained to work with dolphins to help locate them in the ocean. The dogs sit on the boat and use their keen sense of smell to detect the dolphins' presence.
Crossbreeding has led to the creation of many popular designer dog breeds.
Dogs have been employed in various roles throughout history, including hunting, herding, guarding, and even as therapy and service animals. Their versatility is remarkable.