Dogs are the favorite pets all over the world. It is estimated that there are more than 525 million dogs on Earth today. Here are some facts about our animal’s fullest.
1 – 14,000 years old
Historians disagree about when and where humans first began domesticating dogs. There is a belief that the first dogs were wolves that domesticated themselves and were attracted for the first time to the first sites of human settlements.
We also find that the remains of people who were buried with their dogs were discovered in Germany. Estimates indicate a time period of at least 14,000 years. The remains of the dog were found early in China, between 5800 and 7000 BC. There is even a dog burial site in Utah, where it is estimated that its history dates back 11,000 years.
The first dogs of the species that have been identified date back to around 9000 BC. This species may have been a type of greyhound used for hunting.
2 – Adore dogs
When a dog was dying in ancient Egypt, its owners, if they could, would not hesitate to mummify it with the same care as a member of the human family. And his companions were shaving their eyebrows as a sign of extreme sadness.
In ancient China, it was believed that dogs were a gift from heaven, and their blood was considered sacred to the extent that it was used to seal faith and swear allegiance.
In the Americas, the Maya kept dogs as pets, but they were also associated with deities. The dogs were said to lead the souls of the dead through a watershed called the zybalpa. And when the soul reaches this underworld, the dog will help guide the deceased to cross challenges set by the Zybalba poles in order to reach heaven.
3 – The age of the dog from his face
Dog breeds with sharp, pointed faces, usually live for years longer compared to dogs with flat faces, such as bulldogs and Asian dogs. The type of breeding that is followed to make a dog’s face flat can lead to many health problems, including skin, eyes and breathing problems, as well as impaired ability to tolerate heat. The longer the dog’s nose, the more effective it was at internal cooling.
4 – Toxic foods
Dogs must be protected from eating some human foods, even if they are in small quantities, such as grapes and raisins, because they contain an unknown substance that causes dogs’ kidney failure. Macadamia nuts can damage a dog’s nervous system. Also, onions and garlic may damage red blood cells. As well as chocolate, avocado and alcohol, as well as anything with caffeine, it can be fatal to the dog.
5 – The power of smell
To put this judgment into perspective, a person can detect the scent of a teaspoon of sugar in a cup of coffee, while a dog can detect a teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Some dogs were said to have smelled the smell of dead bodies under the water, and were also able to smell natural gas deposits at a depth of 40 feet under the dirt, so that they could smell cancer in humans.
6 – Reading minds
Dogs can read minds, not literally, but they do score excellent marks in reading body language. For example, a study in which a medicinal substance was hidden under one of two upturned buckets. A person stood behind the buckets to give many body signals, such as pointing to or leaning towards a bucket.
When the experiment was conducted on chimpanzees, or 3-year-olds, they were both nearly unable to interpret the body’s signals until they learned what they meant, whereas dogs could immediately understand and recognize the intended bucket.
Why does this happen? Scientists say they can’t find an explanation, but dogs are clearly adept at reading human body signals.
7 – Intelligence of a child
Research at The University of British Columbia revealed that canine intelligence can compete with a human child from the age of two to two and a half years. Dogs can even understand 150 to 200 words, count to 4 or 5, and even deliberately deceive humans and other dogs to get pleasure and have fun with them.
8 – Touch is the first sense
When a puppy is born, the first thing a mother does is to clean it. This process involves touching all the nerve endings in the puppy’s body, helping blood flow to all of the puppy’s limbs.
Based on these gentle beginnings, touch becomes part of the socialization of dogs, which strengthens the bonds between friends and family members, both dogs, and humans.
Mahmud