FACTS ABOUT DOGS

The Dog is a member of the Canidae family descended from the Miacidae which lived 40 to 50 million years ago. It was the ancestor of all carnivores, but the true ancestor of the modern canids like the wolf, dog, jackel, fox, coyote and other species is the Leptacyon which lived 5 million years ago.

All canids have 78 chromosomes, the largest number of any mammal. The wolf, jackel, and dog can interbreed and have fertile offspring.

TOP BARKERS according to Dog Fancy Magazine are Yorkies, Shelties, Newfoundlands, German Shepherds, Dachshunds, and the Beagle. Need Ear Muffs? Also listed are Jack Russels, Westies, Min Pins, Toy Poodles, Dobermans, and Schnauzers.

COLLIES are a native of Scotland, were a favorite pet of Queen Victoria in the late 1800's. Collies carried information for the military in both World Wars.

BEAGLE, the word has two possible origins, the Celtic word "beag" meaning small and the Old French "beegueule", a noisy person. "Snoopy" is a beagle. LBJ owned a beagle. The breed was imported from England in 1876.

YORKSHIRE TERRIERS were first called the Brokenhaired Scotch Terrier and arrived in the states in the 1880s.

NEWFOUNDLAND, one named "Seaman" belonged to Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and was credited for saving their lives many times on the journey.

AMERICAN FOXHOUNDS Early settlers imported Irish, French, and English hounds to hunt fox, coyotes, and deer. George Washington bred fox hounds and kept hounds at Mt Vernon.

ENGLISH COCKER SPANIELS, Elizabeth Barret Browining wrote a poem to her Spaniel called "Flush", and Queen Elizabeth II was a breeder. They originated in Spain, England, and Wales.

PAPILLION means "Butterfly" in French to signify the size of the breeds ears. They are found in many paintings of women of royalty. Marie Antoinette was said to have taken one of her two papillions to the guillotine with her, handing it to her executioner before she was beheaded. King Henry III of France wore a basket filled with papillions around his neck appearing before his council of state.

RAT TERRIER Originated in the 1820s from a mix of Manchester terrier/Smooth coated Fox terrier with a White English Terrier (extinct since the 1920's), was introduced in the US in the 1890's where it was combined with more Smooth coated Fox Terrier, Beagle, and Italian Greyhound. It is said that if it were not for the Italian Greyhound added they would be Jack Russels. It is considered an American breed and an excellent hunter. The most famous was Teddy Roosevelt's "Skip" who rid the Whitehouse of rats and was a hunting companion for the President.

The IRISH WOLFHOUND lived up to its name. The large dogs were used by the Celts for hunting wolves and other large animals. They were in Ireland by 500 B.C. and were sent to Rome around 393 B.C., where they were viewed by the Romans in the arena. Novelist Sir Walter Scott owned one said to be six feet from head to tail. They nearly became extinct but for people like George A. Graham who gathered many remaing wolfhounds in 1862 and began breeding them.

SAMOYED.. The Samoyed was developed many centuries ago in Siberia. The Samoyed tribe of nothern Russia or Nintse bred large sled dogs of many colors including white. In 1889 Great Britain decided to only recognize the white variety. Native Americans believed that white animals were the chiefs of their kind, like the white buffalo which they said possessed supernatural powers.

PUG has a history predating 400 B.C. in Tibet monasteries. They were introduced in Japan and then Europe where they were in many royal courts. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, taken with the breed, owned 11 pugs.

PIT BULLS were registered by the American Kennel club as early as 1936 as Staffordshire Terriers.

POMERANIAN... The tiny Pomeranian is a true Spitz and a native of central Europe. It was Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III who was from Meckenberg, which borders Pomerania, the northeast corner of East Germany, who introduced the Pomeranian. Later her grand-daughter, Queen Victoria, made the breed fashionable in England.

BULL TERRIERS originated in England. One famous bull terrier belonged to Gen. George S. Patton and was called "Willie", short for William the Conquerer.

Photo from Dog Fancy Magazine courtesy of Patton Historical Society

SHAR-PEI was once listed in the Guiness world of records as the worlds rarest dog. Unknown outside of China it was rescued from extinction in the 1960's.

The MALTESE is one of the most ancient breeds. Archeological evidence puts the breed in Egyptian culture around 300 to 600 B.C. where they were worshipped as members of the royal families. Their images have been found on Greek vases dated around 500 B.C. The first known written history of the Maltese was by the Greek Philosopher Aristotle around 350 B.C. where he attributes the origin of the breed to the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, hence the name "Maltese".

THE COTON DE TULEAR, The Royal Dog of Madagascar is a small dog with a happy clownish personality. The word coton means cotton in French and refers to their white cotton fluffy coat. The port of Tulear in Madagascar is off the coast of Africa. The coton de tulear is a member of the bichon family. The Bishons are descended from an ancient European breed called the Barbet. The Barbet was introduced in the canary islands by the spanish and from its origins came the Maltese, French Petit Lion Dog, the Italian Bolognese, the South American Havanais, and the Coton de Tulear.

BRUSSELS GRIFFON.. remember "Verdell", the little scruffy munchkin that stole Jack Nicholson's heart in the movie "As good as it gets"? Well then you have seen a Brussel Griffon.

JAPANESE CHIN, in 59 AD the Empress of China kept 25 of them as taste testers. It was said, The Emperor of China gave a pair of Chins to the Emperor of Japan, and Commodore Perry gave a pair to Queen Victoria after returning from Japan.

OTTERHOUNDS were first mentioned in 1175 in Henry II's reign. In Edward II's reign 1307-1327 William Twici left the earlist description of the dog, which was used in packs to hunt otter. Its most likely origin is French, and almost an exact replica of the "Vendeen Hound of France".Almost all the British Monarchs since Henry II kept a royal Master of Otterhounds and several pairs to hunt otter.

MUTTS.... In a web site named Muttsville we certainly can't forget the Mutts. Many times thought as the best of the lot because they are less interbred and healthier. For those of you who have seen the movie Pirates of the Caribbean and enjoyed the jail scene with the mutt who guards the keys, I have looked into the scruffy fellow. Click here for some intersting facts on the dog and other critters in the film.