Dogs offer unconditional love. They are our joy, comfort, playmates and friends.
Unlike a lot of our ‘regular’ friends, they are always there for us, present in the moment and not on their phones. 😃 They don't hold a grudge, and they don’t judge. Whatever activity we are involved in, they want to be involved too. Most owners get a ‘warm and fuzzy’ feeling when they look into their dog’s eyes… and you know what? The feeling is usually mutual for the dog, says a recent study published in the Journal of Science.
Some other interesting ‘barking points’ about dogs:
Dogs Hearing is Super Sensitive! They are great listeners, and we are talking superhuman listening. The frequency range of sound that a dog can hear, up to 45,000 Hz is practically 100% wider than that of a human, who tops out at 23,000HZ. Dogs can also tune into sounds that are 4X further way.
They have super sniffers – 40X better than ours! Experts believe that most dogs can detect scents and smells up to 100,0000 times more acutely than humans. So much for trying to hide that midnight snack you tiptoed into the kitchen for, even if your dog does not hear you (and they will), they will definitely smell it. This attribute makes dogs super useful in law enforcement, and in detecting health issues in humans long before they are realized. This also explains why Dogs noses are wet. The nose of a dog will secret mucus, which helps them to track a scent in the wind. A dog licks their nose as a way to help them cool down, and since they are at ground level, where they can pick up dirt, a dog will lick its nose to keep it clean and optimize its scent tracking ability.
Warm and Fuzzy means less stress. Studies have proved that dogs can help humans alleviate anxiety and feelings of stress. The simple action of petting a dog can lower BP and heart rate, and can slow breathing, and relax muscles. And, guess what? According to the American Kennel Club, the dog’s BP drops too.
Unlike humans, dog’s sense of taste is much less discriminatory. They have about 1700 taste buds compared to our 2000- 10,000. A dog can be seen enthusiastically chowing down on grass or rotting food scraps, as if it were a bowl of hamburger or a steak.
Other fun things to know about your canine companion:
A Dogs nose is like a person’s fingerprint.
Just like in humans, yawning is contagious in dogs, and a dog will yawn even more if and when the dog knows the human. Sometimes they yawn to calm down or relieve stress.
Almost 50% of US dogs sleep in their owner’s beds.
Dog’s dream, and mature dogs and puppies dream more.
A Dog’s name is included almost 75% of the time on holiday cards in the US.
The US has over 75 million pet dogs, the most of any country on earth.
Dogs CAN see some COLORS! They can see Blue and Yellow but can’t distinguish the difference between red and green. AND, their night vision is far superior to ours.
Dogs ONLY sweat on the pads of their paws. They pant to cool themselves down.
Dogs have 18 muscles dedicated to moving their ears around.
Dogs and the Hall of Fame and Academy Awards: Lassie was the first animal inducted into the Hall of Fame and Rin Tin Tin was nominated for an Academy award.
Dogs and the Court System: Bloodhounds sense of smell is so accurate that it can be used as evidence in court.
The Guinness Book of Records: It states that the oldest dog that ever lived was 29 years, 5 months old. He was an Australian Cattle Dog.
We hope you enjoyed these intriguing, fun facts about our special friends.