Dogs

• A dog's hearing and sense of smell is 300 times better than a human's.
• Archeologists in Israel dug into a grave they back-dated 12,000 years. And found therein the remains of an aged man and a 5-month-old puppy, the man's hand at gentle rest on the little dog's body. Pet sentiment goes way back.
• Seven out of every 100 dog owners throw birthday parties for their dogs, inviting other dogs.
• The dog that respects its master rarely leaves home for more than 45 minutes.
• In Tokyo you can buy a toupée for your dachshund.
• People in Nepal observe an annual Day of the Dog . They feed every stray dog in the nation. And mark each dog with a red sign on the forehead. And decorate each with a garland of flowers.
• What a bloodhound actually smells when it tracks a human being is bacteria. People slough off 50 million skin cells daily and those cells are what give off the odor.
• Identical twins smell the same to bloodhounds.
• Most popular "color" names for dogs are Blackie, Midnight, Yellow, and Rusty.
• South Africa's army uses "paradogs"—a dog parachuted to its assignment. Its handler likewise jumps in a timed pattern so that they land at the same time. The dog's first chore is to find its handler.
• A puppy grows in 18 months at the pace a person grows in 18 years.
• Edgy dogs are more likely to attack if stared at than "layed-back" dogs.
• Half the people bitten by dogs are 3 years old or younger.
• Latest count of dog bite reports by U.S. Postal Service letter carriers is 20 a day.
• Wanna know why a dog's lips are black? To protect them from sunburn.