50 Interesting Facts About Dogs

A Russian child named Ivan Mishukov lived with a pack of dogs for two years after he gave the dogs food. In return, the dog pack protected him and made him pack-leader. He later relearned language and served in the Russian Army.

27. When confronted by police, a man took his pit bull off the leash, pointed at the cops and yelled: “Kill’em boy, kill’em.” The dog responded by biting him in the butt and chasing him into a nearby apartment where the officers promptly arrested him.

28. When he was a student at Trinity College, Lord Byron was so infuriated that pet dogs were banned that he acquired a tame bear. He argued that as bears weren’t specifically mentioned in their rules, there were no legal grounds for complaint. Lord Byron eventually won the argument.

29. During the filming of 'Snow Buddies' Disney imported 20 under-aged golden retriever puppies. Because they weren't vaccinated most of the dogs contracted parvo. Five puppies died during the making of the film.

30. It is illegal for pet stores in Beverly Hills to sell dogs and cats that are not from a shelter or rescue.

In the 19th century Germany there was a man who was both the local tax collector and caretaker of the dog pound. Since tax collecting was a dangerous job, he used the pound to make a new breed a dog that would protect him while collecting. His name, Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann.

32. The Alaskan Malamute became the state dog of Alaska after a 3-year campaign and legislative process that started with a kindergartner asking the question, "Why doesn't Alaska have a state dog."

33. Liberty, President Gerald Ford's dog, was trained to create diversions in meetings. If Ford wanted to end a conversation in the Oval Office, he would signal Liberty and she would go to the guest wagging her tail, creating a natural break.

34. When police raided a dog fighting ring in South Carolina, 8 suspects attempted to flee the scene. One of the suspects was taken into custody after one of the dogs chased him and "took him down". The dog then escaped.

35. During the search and rescue operations for the September 11th attacks, it was becoming rarer and rarer for rescue dogs to find anyone, leading them to feel failed, so firefighters hid in the rubble for the dogs to find them.

Salty and Roselle, two separate guide dogs who were in the World Trade Centre during 9/11. They were on the 71st and 78th floor of Tower 1 respectively. They each led their owners safely out of the burning tower amidst the chaos, and both owners and dogs survived.

37. Istanbul has a vending machine that releases food and water for the city's stray dogs in exchange for recycled plastic bottles.

38. The Ancient Irish respected their dogs so much that if a Warrior or King gained the loyalty of a hound they would be given the prefix ''Cu'' meaning ''Hound'' added on before their own name to show others they were worthy of the respect and loyalty of a dog.

39. When puppies play, young boy dogs often let the girls win, so as to entice the females to play with them.

40. An Italian street dog named Fido who was found injured and nursed back to health by a factory worker still returned to his owner's bus stop to wait for him every day for 14 years after his owner had died.

Dogs have 'Eureka moments' and enjoy the experience of solving a problem in order to obtain a reward.

42. Dogs can understand that when we look at them and then stare at something, they should turn their attention to it.

43. In 1951, MGM owed the dog who played Lassie $40,000 in back pay. Not planning any more Lassie movies, MGM instead gave the rights to the Lassie trademark to the dog's trainer, who spun it off into a TV show that ran for 19 seasons.

44. Moscow street dogs display specialized behaviors that differentiate them from domesticated dogs & wolves: pack leaders tend to be the most intelligent rather than the strongest, and packs tend to deploy its cuter members first, as they are more successful in begging for food from people.

45. Deep in the Amazon rainforest, there exists a rare breed of dog that has two noses. When Col. Percy Fawcett described it after returning from a 1913 expedition to the area, he was teased and ridiculed by his peers.

During World War 2 because of food shortage and post-war factors, the Shiba Inu nearly became extinct . All dogs today are bred from the only three surviving bloodlines.

47. There is a non-profit organization called "House With A Heart" that takes in and cares for senior dogs, many with special needs, that have been abandoned by their owners. The facility operates as a hospice, seeing to it that older dogs are not consigned to dying in shelters, or worse.

48. Tihar, a festival in Nepal that dedicates an entire day to thanking dogs for their friendship and loyalty.

49. Dogs can suffer from PTSD, and it affects 5% of military service dogs.

50. Google prefers dogs to cats. Their official code of conduct specifically states they are a dog company.