Fun Facts and Information About Dogs

Article by Davey Martin

Just about every parent who has both children and dogs knows about the love between the two. Dogs love children without any strings, and watch over them protectively. Dogs will patiently allow children to grab food from their food bowls, ride them like horses (if they are big dogs), or have their ears tugged. Because of this unique relationship that dogs and children share all over the globe, I have gathered some fun facts and information about dogs that kids will enjoy learning.

Do Dogs See Color?Most kids probably do not give much thought to how dogs view the world around them. If they do think about it, though, they might be stumped as to whether dogs see in black and white or in color. Or, they might just assume that dogs see the world just as they do. The truth is that dogs do see in color, but not with as much vibrancy as we see. Dogs see the world in more muted colors, similar to how the world looks to us at dusk, when the sun goes down.

Dogs may not see as much color as we do, but they do see much better when there is very little light. Have you ever noticed how dogs eyes seem to glow when you use a flash to photograph them? That is because they have a reflective film just behind the retina that captures light and reflects it back to the eye. This layer allows them to see better in low light.

Dogs Sense of SmellWhen it comes to smelling, dogs win over humans hands down (or is that paws?). Their amazing noses are capable of smelling 100,000 times better than our noses. This is why dogs stop and sniff so often when going for walks. They are smelling things that we cannot.

This incredible ability to smell is actually why thy do not see color as well as we do. They don't need to see the world around them. What they can't "see" with their eyes, they can with their noses.

Patterns On Dog NosesDogs don't have fingerprints, but they have something just like them: nose prints! Those of you who have dogs are used to seeing smudgy nose prints on windows all around your home, possibly even your cars. What you might not have known is that every dog's nose pattern is specific to that dog.

In other words, just as with snowflakes, each nose pattern is unique. If you have multiple dogs and you pay attention to the marks they leave on windows, you can actually identify which dog left which print, simply by the patterns that are left on the windows.

Dogs Are A Part Of The FamilyHave you ever gotten a greeting card from someone and had it signed by all the family members, including their pet dog? Or, have you done this yourself? Chances are pretty good that you answered, "Yes," to at least one of the questions above, because at least 70% of families include their pets names when signing holiday and birthday cards. Some people even send cards from just their pets.

Cards aren't the only place where pets are included as family members. An incredible 58% of families bring their dogs along and include them in family pictures. Do not be surprised if, while visiting someone's home, you spy a photo of their family and see their dogs sitting with them in the photo.

Dogs And Their BarksDogs bark, plain and simple. They bark at strangers, at other dogs, or even at nothing at all. Some barks are quiet, others are booming, but regardless of they volume, it seems that all dogs bark.

Actually, not all dogs do bark. This tidbit of information about dogs may come as a surprise, but there is one breed of dog, known as the basenji, that has no bark. It is a wolf dog from Africa. That doesn't mean it is mute, though. Instead of a bark, it does a kind of a yodeling noise, as well as howl and growl.

As you can see, dogs are very interesting animals. There is far more information about dogs than I've written here. If you like these fun facts, then you should check out my website.

About the Author

Read more about information about dogs. You can also read about dog obedience training.