Dogs are pet favorite around the world. It is estimated that there are more than 525 million dogs on Earth today. Here are some facts about our beloved companions.
14,000 years
Historians disagree about when and where humans first domesticated dogs. The first dogs are believed to be wolves that have domesticated themselves and are first attracted to the first sites of the human population.
The remains of people buried with their dogs were found in Germany. It is estimated that a period of at least 14,000 years. The remains of the dog were also found early in China, between 5800 and 7000 BC, and there is even a dog burial site in Utah where it is estimated to date back to 11,000 years.
The first identified dog species date from around 9000 BC. It was probably a greyhound that was used for hunting.
Reverence dogs
When a dog died in ancient Egypt, its owners, if they could, did not hesitate to embalm it with the same care as a human family member. His companions shaved their eyebrows as a sign of grief.
In ancient China, it was widely believed that dogs were a godsend, and their blood was so sacred that they were used to seal faith and swear allegiance.
In the Americas, the Maya kept the dogs as pets, but they were also associated with the gods. Dogs were said to have driven the souls of the dead through a water expanse called Zibalba. When the soul reached this underworld, the dog helped guide the deceased to cross the challenges set by the Zybalba electrodes in order to reach the commission.
Age of the dog from the face
Sharp-pointed dog breeds usually live longer for years than flat-faced dogs, such as bulldogs and Asian dogs.
The type of breeding that is used to keep the dog’s face flat can lead to many health problems, including skin, eye and breathing problems, as well as poor heat tolerance. The longer the dog’s nose is, the more effective it will be in internal cooling.
Toxic foods
Dogs should be protected from eating certain human foods, even in small amounts, such as grapes and raisins, because they contain an unknown substance that causes dogs’ kidney failure. Macadamia nuts can damage the dog’s nervous system. Onions and garlic may also damage red blood cells. As well as chocolate, avocado and alcohol, as well as anything with enough caffeine, it can be fatal to the dog.
The power of smell
To put this judgment in perspective, one can detect the smell of a teaspoon of sugar in a cup of coffee, while the dog can detect a teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Some dogs are said to have smelled the bodies of the dead underwater, and have been able to smell natural gas deposits 40 feet below the soil, even smelling cancer in humans.
Reading minds
Dogs can read minds, not literally, but they record excellent marks in reading the language of objects. For example, a study during which a therapeutic substance was hidden under one of two inverted buckets. A person stood behind the buckets to give many body signals, such as pointing to a bucket or leaning towards it.
When the experiment was conducted on chimpanzees, or 3-year-old children, they were almost incapable of interpreting body signals until they learned what they meant, while dogs could immediately understand and distinguish the intended bucket.
Why is this happening? Scientists say they find no explanation, but dogs are clearly adept at reading human body signals.
Intelligence of a child
Research at the University of British Columbia has revealed that dog intelligence can compete with a human child from two to two and a half years. Dogs can even understand 150 to 200 words, even counting to 4 or 5; they deliberately deceive humans and other dogs to get pleasures and fun with them.
Touch is the first sense
When a puppy is born, the first thing the mother does is clean it. This involves touching all the nerve endings in the puppy’s body, helping blood flow to all sides.
From these delicate beginnings, touch becomes part of the socialization of dogs, reinforcing the bonds between friends and family members, both dogs and humans.