Random fun fact

The webpage 99 fun facts about dogs claims President Franklin Roosevelt created a minor international incident when he claimed he sent a destroyer to the Aleutian Islands to pick up his Scottish Terrier who had been left behind.

I sympathize; if my dog was left behind and I had a destroyer, I'd send it. :o)

Rat Terrier

The first I heard someone say, "That's a ratty" I thought, "It's a what-and-a-what?" Then, I learned Rat Terrier is an actual dog breed.

The Rat Terrier is an American Dog breed used as all-around farm dog and hunting companion. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, and are often mistaken for Jack Russels. The Rat Terrier always has a single coat, though. They range from about ten to twenty pounds, and stand thirteen to eighteen inches at the shoulder.

Now, that's a sense of smell...

I learned something new today. The average human has about 5 million smell-detecting cells, and the average dog has more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is four times larger in a dog than a human.

How smart is a dog?

A dog is actually very smart, much more so than most people give them credit for. An average pooch can be compared to a two year old child, and can learn to understand about 150-200 words, including hand signals and hand movements. (Source: Bailey, Gwen. 2002. What Is My Dog Thinking?) An average dog can also learn to count to four or five, and has a basic understanding of arithmetics. (Source: petside.com)

The Border Collie and the Poodle generally top the lists of intelligent dogs. They can learn over 1000 words and understand the difference between nouns and verbs. (Source: petside.com)

The video might or might not play, ABC News doesn't seem to like the spreading of it, but it's worth checking out, so follow the link to Youtube. =D

Interesting fact about dog history

I stumbled over a website called 99 Fun Facts About Dogs. I didn't know this:

"All dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis, which dwelled in trees and dens."

Never heard of. Further googling led to this image. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's kinda cute! 40 million years. Wow.

Landseer

The first time I heard the name Landseer, I thought it had to be a mix of a Labrador-something-something. Boy was I wrong... 

The Landseer is another Canadian breed, closely related to the Newfoundland. Some kennel clubs consider the Landseer a black and white version of the Newfoundland, others see it as a separate breed.

They're known for being gentle and serene, and they love to swim. 

Landseers have been very popular with fishermen because they excel at rescuing drowning people. 

BarkBox

I just learned about this fantastic thing called a BarkBox. It's kind of a subscription service for our furry friends, delivering goodies every month. To make it even better, parts of the proceeds go to charities; they sponsor a shelter each month. A monthly BarkBox cost only $18, and 10% of each box goes to a rescue group.

They have options for every size of dog, and boxes are shipped on the 15th of each month. Maybe this will make the doggies more positive to the mailman! (My gang thinks the mailtruck is a fire breathing dragon, and if the poor mailman dares approach the front door, they wish they could jump through the window to scare him off...)