Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Interesting Dog Facts

I am currently reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult and came across an interesting passage. The book is about a young boy with Asperger's (which I find very fascinating), so there are times when he will spew out random facts about various subjects. I thought these would be cool to share here, as they are all about dogs!
  1. They evolved from a small mammal called miacis, a tree dweller that lived 40 million years ago.
  2. They were first domesticated by Paleolithic cavemen.
  3. No matter the breed, a dog has 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth.
  4. Dalmatians are born white.
  5. The reason they turn in a circle before lying down is because when they were wild animals, this helped mat the long grass into a bed.
  6. Approximately one million dogs have been named the primary beneficiaries of their owners’ wills.
  7. They sweat through the pads of their feet.
  8. Scientists have found that dogs  can smell the presence of autism in kids.

I found number 5 especially fascinating! I always wondered why they did that!

Anyway, the book is really good if you're looking for a summer read! I'm not done yet, but I have enjoyed it so far. I like most of her books. Happy Summer!

8 comments:

  1. i am always sooo interested in fun facts about dogs!!! especially corgis!! friends at work make fun of me for all that i know! i wish i wasnt so squeemish with blood and stuff, i could have gone into working with animals some how!
    anyway....if you want a really good book for facts about dogs (like #5 is actually in there!) check out "The Secret Life of Dogs" by Jana Murphy {ISBN13: 9781579543129}. It's fantastic! I learned sooo much from it! I found it at Borders, I used to work there, as part of the regular inventory of all our stores here in Omaha. It has become a gift I give to dog lovers!
    And on number 8, it's so cool what they think dogs can sniff in people! Dogs are the most amazing animal in the world! And they are unbelievably intuative, loving and beautiful! Just amazing. In the book it has a section on dogs sniffing ability (great term there, huh?) and how much they get from just a single sniff! They can tell breed, gender, mating status, health, happiness....etc from other dogs in their smells in their "markings." Who knows what all they get from our "smells!"
    **sorry I went to town here on you, I just get so excited with pups and I love books and facts about dogs!**

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  2. I like Jodi Picoult's books; I'll have to look for this one; enjoyed all the facts about the dogs you listed here!!

    (my daughter has Asperger's; it is really unique to live with)

    betty

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  3. Bri, thanks for the book suggestion! That sounds really interesting. I will check it out! Dogs are seriously so amazing! I love learning all this cool stuff about why they do the things they do!

    Betty, I replied on your blog, but thanks for sharing that! I do hope to work with children with Asperger's and Autism at some point. I've read a lot of books about it, several memoirs, and it is really fascinating to me. I'd love to be able to work with them and help them in some way! Definitely check out the book!

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  4. I love hearing all sorts of animal facts, those were some pretty cool ones.
    I read your about me post too, that you went to UF. Its always fun to find common ground with someone, and its really cool you grew up in South Fla too. :-)

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  5. I love Jodi Picoult too! I'll have to get this one! I wonder if number 8 is true? I recently had a photoshoot with someone who was pregnant & she said her dog totally knew it even before she did & would lay on her belly & just always be around her belly.

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  6. Katie, did you go to UF, too? I love finding common ground as well, and always like finding fellow Floridians! :)

    Lindsey, I definitely think dogs can tell things like that! It's amazing how powerful their sense of smell is!!

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  7. I didnt got to UF I went to FAU. I know a bunch of kids I went to highschool with that went to UF, so I've visited it.

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  8. Very cool! My mom got her Master's at FAU, and we lived pretty close to there!

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