Four years ago, Samo was adopted by a loving couple. She is a Beagle-Labrador mix from a litter of 8 that were named “The Adams Family” and in this heartwarming video, she is reunited with 3 of her siblings for the first time.
If you’re lucky enough to be owned by a dog, you probably already know that we’re pretty great. We make it our business to make your lives better through all the little things – guarding the house, cuddling in bed and making you laugh when you think you’ve forgotten how.
But what about those people who don’t already know how great dogs are, who are missing out on the games of fetch, the welcome home butt wiggles and so many more moments of joy? Well, maybe some cold, hard facts can help change their minds.
Here are 21 dog facts that show just how paw-sitively awesome we are.
1. You already knew your pup was unique, but did you know his nose was? Like hooman fingerprints, our nose prints can be used to accurately identify us. Of course you would never forget your best pal, but should we get lost, an ID collar or microchip might work faster than a nose-print.
2. A lot of people think we see in black and white, but that’s not true. Sure, we don’t see things exactly like hoomans do, but we can see some colors, like yellow and blue. Don’t know why all my favorite toys are red, though. A mystery!
3. A dog’s heart beats up to 120 times per minute, 50% faster than the average hooman heartbeat of 80 times per minute. Even better? Every beat of it is for you!
4. We know our puppy eyes are irresistible to you hoomans, but there are some foods you just shouldn’t give us no matter how much we beg, and chocolate makes the top of this sad, sad list. Theobromine may be yum, but it makes us feel yuck (or worse).
5. We’re fast as lightning! Greyhounds can reach a speed of up to 45 miles per hour. Those are some major zoomies!
6. We’re very smart. In fact, studies say we’re as smart as a 2-year-old hooman! Sorry, parents!
7. Though we may look a little different, in most households, we’re considered real members of the family. Seventy-five percent of our hoomans even sign our names on their holiday cards…
8. …and in the United States, forty-five percent of us sleep in our hooman’s beds.
9. When we curl up in a ball to sleep, we’re not trying to be cute; that’s just a natural side effect. We’re actually trying to protect our vital organs. (We’re still wild at heart.)
10. Speaking of being wild, we’re all really just house wolves. No matter what the breed, all dogs still share 99.9% of their DNA with wolves. Yes, even Chihuahuas. AAAh-oooo!
11. We slurp water the same way cats do. (We might just be a little messier about it.)
12. We’re all born completely deaf and can’t hear until we’re about three weeks old. (And sometimes, when we get older, we have “treat-activated” hearing.) Luckily we have super smelling noses to make up for this.
13. Our noses are way better than hooman noses. They have as many as 300 million receptors. (Poor hoomans have just 5 million.)
14. Our noses are wet because the moisture helps us absorb scent chemicals. Also, very good for booping hoomans!
15. Those wet noses can help hoomans in a lot of different ways, even by detecting cancer. Cancerous cells release different metabolic waste products than healthy ones, and they can’t trick our Super Noses!
16. We’re also super strong! A dog’s mouth can exert 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch…
17. …and for some dog breeds, this number rises to 450 pounds per square inch. *Chomp!*
18. Male dogs lift their legs to pee to make themselves appear larger to other dogs. Not sure why we like fire hydrants so much, though.
19. You know how we kick backward after we do our business in the yard? We’re not trying to cover it up … we’re actually marking our territory with the scent glands in our paws. Mine! That dirt is mine, too!
20. Have you ever noticed your dog’s paws smelling like corn chips? It’s bacteria, but the good kind. The smell is either caused by Pseudomonas or Proteus bacteria, which leaves our paws smelling like delicious snack food! Mmm, snacks…
21. Hoomans aren’t the only ones who like to be the center of attention – studies have shown that dogs can feel a wide range of emotions, including jealousy. We just love you a lot! So, keep those treats comin’!
We dogs are basically the greatest, and we figured you hoomans deserved to know. There are so many reasons to love us, but I hope you learned a little something new from these dog facts about your own best friend. I worked really hard on this, so give a dog a bone!
