7 facts about ‘Man’s Best Friend’ to celebrate International Dog Day

IF you’re reading this on your computer, a coffee in your hand, and a dog resting by your feet (or alongside you on your bed) then you’re living life right. But if you’re doing all of this without a hound, then best you get into your car and head over to the nearest shelter to adopt one! With tomorrow being International Dog Day (26 August) now is the time to celebrate your dog, or get one if you’ve been putting it off. And to get your tail wagging, here are 7 fast facts about dogs.

1. A sniff in time
Despite sticking their noses in some of the most unsanitary places, dogs have an incredible sense of smell, with a sense of smell 40x as good as ours because the brain cells that detect cells are that much larger in dogs. In addition to sniffing out missing people and drugs, dogs can actually smell medical conditions such as certain types of cancer, blood sugar and even Covid-19.

2. Hear me out
They don’t just have a great sense of smell, dogs can also hear at much higher frequencies than us. This means they can hear much softer sounds, as well as things a lot further away than us measly humans. Combined with the excellent sense of smell, this super hearing makes them great at search and rescue, being used for police searches as well as hunting down poachers.

3. Not so fast, cheetah
Super smell, super sight – are you driving off to the rescue shelter yet? Well, if not, then this might convince you! Dogs are also super fast! Look, there are many different types of dog breeds, so they’re not all this fast, but the greyhound (often seen running after a fake rabbit on a track in dog racing) can reach speeds of about 70km/h. In fact, they can outrun a cheetah. How? You might ask. Well, a cheetah can reach speeds of around 110km/h but for only about 30 seconds, while a greyhound can keep going for miles, so it has the staying power.

4. Who’s a clever boy?
Your new dog, that’s who! Once again, certain species are more intelligent than others, but studies show that dogs can learn more than 100 words and gestures – which is the equivalent of your two-year-old toddler. Plus, they don’t suffer from the terrible twos because dogs are much easier to train, which is why they’re in the military.

5. Wolfie, wolfie, what’s the time?
Okay, they might not know how to tell the time, but dogs are actually ancestors of wolves – that went extinct a while ago. They were the first animals that we domesticated around 20 000 years ago, and as they evolved, they didn’t need such big skulls, paws, and teeth, so they’re a lot more cute and cuddly.

6. No sweatbands needed here
What do dogs do when it’s hot? They pant. This is a clever way to regulate their body temperatures. It’s not that they don’t sweat though, they just don’t sweat like us. Dog sweat is more of an oily substance we can’t even smell, however, they do sweat on their paws.

7. The dominant side
Just like us, dogs actually have a dominant side and you can test whether they’re right- or left-pawed. Watch them walk and see which paw they start with the most, or play a bit with them and see which paw they use to grab the toy first.

Clearly, you need a dog in your life but remember – adopt don’t shop! Your perfect furry friend is waiting in an animal shelter near you. Make a dog’s day this International Dog Day!

SOURCES:
https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/dog-facts/
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/10-amazing-facts-about-dogs

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