Animal Facts About Dogs

Zeus, a Great Dane, was crowned the world's tallest dog in 2012. Measuring a whopping 1.11 meters (3'8") from shoulder to foot, he stood at an amazing 2.2 meters (7'3") in height on his hind legs.

Caucasian Mountain Dog (aka Russian Bear Dog) males reach over 200lb and have historically been used to hunt bears.

Dogs often turn in circles before lying down, a behavior inherited from wild ancestors who trampled grass to create comfortable beds and check for snakes or insects.

Dogs can detect sadness in humans through vocal and facial cues, and often respond with comforting behaviors like cuddling, nuzzling, or staying close to their distressed owners.

Nose prints can be used to identify dogs, just like humans use fingerprints!

The average cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven is $16,400 US Dollars.

The Savannah is one of the largest domestic cat breeds. It resembles a small leopard and behaves like a dog. They can weigh up to 25 lbs, leap nearly 8 feet horizontally, and can be trained to walk on a leash and play fetch.

The Basenji is known as the 'barkless dog' because it cannot produce a typical bark. Instead, it makes unique yodeling sounds called 'baroos' due to its unusually shaped larynx.

Rex the German Shepherd was a rescue dog with a bad temper. He refused to be fed by humans and would attack strangers, but he’s a changed dog after falling in love with Geraldine the goose!

George was the world's largest dog who weighed 233 pounds, stood at 43 inches tall from paw to shoulder, and ate 180 pounds of food a month.

Service dogs are trained to know when they are on duty. When their harness is on, they know they are at work. When you take it off they instantly become playful and energetic.

Cats and dogs can hear ultrasound.

Nervous dogs wag their tails to the left, and happy dogs to the right (from the dog’s point of view) — and fellow canines pick up on this lop-sided tail language.

Baks the blind boxer had a seeing-eye goose named Buttons; a four-year-old goose who lead the pup around everywhere either by hanging onto him with her neck, or by honking to tell him which way to go.

Dogs and elephants are among the few animals that instinctively understand human pointing gestures without training, a skill that even our closest primate relatives struggle to master.

Dogs can learn to fake injuries or illness symptoms to get more attention from their owners.

Dogs have been man's pet for over 14,000 years.

It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland!

Cats make over 100 different vocal sounds; dogs can make about ten.

Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not only cool themselves by panting. They also sweat through the pores on their paws.