Wednesday, January 23, 2013

10 Fun Historical Facts about Dogs


1. The most dogs ever owned by one person were 5,000 Mastiffs owned by Kubla Khan.

2. During the Middle Ages, Great Danes and Mastiffs were sometimes suited with armor and spiked collars to enter a battle or to defend supply caravans.

3. All dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis which dwelled in trees and dens. The Miacis later evolved into the Tomarctus, a direct forbear of the genus Canis, which includes the wolf and jackal as well as the dog.

4. The first dog chapel was established in 2001. It was built in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, by Stephan Huneck, a children’s book author whose five dogs helped him recuperate from a serious illness.

5. Plato once said that “a dog has the soul of a philosopher.

6. Alexander the Great is said to have founded and named a city Peritas, in memory of his dog.

7. The earliest European images of dogs are found in cave paintings dating back 12,000 years ago in Spain.

8. The names of 77 ancient Egyptian dogs have been recorded. The names refer to color and character, such as Blackie, Ebony, Good Herdsman, Reliable, and Brave One.

9. Dogs have lived with humans for over 14,000 years. Cats have lived with people for only 7,000 years.

10. In early Christian tradition, Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, is sometimes depicted with a dog’s head.

Make sure to show your dog how much you appreciate them by not sending them to a kennel. Leave your dog with one of our amazing WagWatchers.com pet hosts when you’re out of town! We promise he’ll have a vacation he’ll remember forever.


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