Pet Blog

Did you know that dogs have over 5 times more taste buds than human beings? That’s why we appreciate food so much!

Excited by this and other amazing facts about dogs, Savory Prime came up with an infographic to share their discoveries.

Click on the image for a larger view, and let us know which fun fact is the most interesting to you!

Dogs and Humans

1. A dog’s nose is like a human fingerprint, in that it can be used to identify them.

2. The maximum sentence in South Carolina, USA for beating your dog is longer than the sentence for beating your wife!

3. Dogs have 1,700 taste buds compared to humans who have 9,000.

4. Paul McCartney added in an extra high-pitched whistle in the song “A Day in the Life” for his Shetland sheepdog.

5. Lord Byron was so outraged that Cambridge Trinity College wouldn’t let him bring his dog so he brought a bear instead.

Characteristics

6. The only sweat glands that dogs have are between their paw pads.

7. A dog’s sense in smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than a human’s.

8. Dogs can see in the dark due to a special membrane in their eyes called the tapetum lucidum.

9. Dogs have wet noses because they lick their noses and absorb scent chemicals so that they can smell better.

10. It has been proven that dogs can actually ‘smell’ some type of cancer.

11. Dogs release oxytocin (the love hormone) in their brains when they interact with dogs and humans.

History

12. Spiked dog collars originate from Ancient Greece where they were designed to protect their dog’s throats from wolf attacks.

13. Dog’s curl up when they’re sleeping because of an old-age instinct so that they can protect their vital organs when asleep.

14. The earliest fossils of dogs date back to 10,000 B.C.

15. All dog breeds are descended from a species called the Tomarctus, a hyena-like creature that lived over 15 million years ago.

16. The famous mythical guardian of the Underworld in Greek mythology was the three-headed dog Cerberus.

Statistics 

17. It is estimated that in the US, 1 million dogs have been named as the primary beneficiaries of their owner’s will.

18. The oldest dog to date lived to be 29 years and 5 months old.

19. In America, more than 1 in 3 families have a dog.

20. In 2002 more people were killed by dogs than sharks in the US.

Different breeds

21. There are two dogs who have black tongues: The Chow Chow and the Shar Pei.

22. Greyhounds can run up to 45 miles per hour, making them the fastest dogs on earth.

23. The Newfoundland dog breed was originally bred to help fisherman, and so have a water-resistant coat and webbed feet,

24. Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog breed to have size toes on each foot.

25. Bloodhounds have the ability to trace scents that are over 300 hours old.

26. The Basenji, an African wold dog, is the only breed of dog that cannot bark.

Cases of real-life dogs

27. With help from the ASPCA, some of Michael Vick’s fighting dogs have now become certified therapy dogs.

28. There’s a Border Collie called Chaser who can recognize 1,022 words.

29. The first big Hollywood dogs star was Rin Tin Tin, after he was rescued during the First World War.

30. Fido, Abraham Lincoln’s dog, was also assassinated.