When I prepared the post for today, I realized I neglected to acknowledge a bit of trivia associated with today. So today will be a twofer with two posts. Affectionately known as Pi Day and celebrated in the US on March 14. A nod to the mathematical constant known as π (pi), this day is a fun day to eat pie, throw pies and discuss the significance of the number. March 14 is also the birthdate of Albert Einstein, the well-recognized theoretical physicist. So today, I say, Happy Birthday, Al and would someone please pass some pie?!
It is well known this upright is horrid with math, but any day associated with pie…irrational or not…well that’s an entirely different equation. Got any cool Pi Day plans?
Sam here. We saw some interesting noses the other day peeking through some knotholes in a fence we passed so mom thought it might be fun to do a trivia quiz to see if you could identify various noses. So…are you ready to give it a go?
Here’s nosing you!
And here are the answers. I know, mom was sneaky with #7. It’s clear I can never leave to read any pee-mail when she’s lurking around. Sorry ’bout that. 😆
Beagle
German Shepherd
Did you recognize my schnoz? Yup, that’s me-a Standard Poodle
Golden Retriever
Old English Sheepdog, my former baby ‘sister’ Puck
Bull Terrier (you may remember Spuds McKenzie from those old Bud Light commercials)
Panda (bad mom – if you got that one correct, you get bonus points!)
Samoyed (this is my ‘hood bestie, Della; isn’t she just a love?)
Hey there sports fans, Sam here with the second half of the alphabet trivia quiz of baby animal names. Take a go and have some fun with it.
Mink
Newt
Opossum
Peafowl
Quail
Rhinoceros
Squirrel
Turtle
Vicuña
Wallaby
Yak
Zebra
And the answers, please…
Cub/Kit
Eft (more like WTH!) – and we’re not talking Exchange Traded Funds here either, people. Talk about baffling, what…calf or pup wasn’t available?!
Joey (so do they call baby girl possums Josie?)
Chick/peachick – This one made me chuckle but it stands to reason since the mom’s are called peahens and the dad’s are peacocks. Go figure…zoology is weird like that sometimes.
Chick (so do you think baby boy quails are called dudes?)
Calf and clearly one that only a mother could love. Yikes!!
The nemesis of most dogs is named after…wait for it…dogs and cats – which seems almost farcical since these tree rats are known as…pups, kits or kittens. Kind of gives us dogs and cats a bad rap, doesn’t it?
Hatchling
Calf – I’m beginning to see a trend in the bottom half of the alphabet.
Joey – Same question as #3…for those curious of us for whom gender identification matters.
Calf – Why am I not surprised? There sure were a lot of calves in the second half of the alphabet-it’s as if they ran out of clever names like dog, pup, pooch, hound, etc.
Colt/foal – Whichever color the stripes are (black or brown), those little guys are adorably cute.
Well…how’d you do? We kind of got stuck after a while and just said calf for most of the answers. 😉
Sam here. Everyone knows that dogs have pups and cats have kittens, but do you know what other animal babies are called? Here is the first of two lists mom and I found to test your knowledge:
Armadillo
Badger
Camel
Dragonfly
Emu
Ferret
Gerbil
Hedgehog
Ibex
Jackal
Koala
Llama
Answers:
Pup/baby
Cub/kit
Calf
Nymph
Chick/hatchling
Kit
Pup
Hoglet/Piglet/Pup
Kid
Pup
Joey
Cria
How well did you do? Interesting so many babies are identified as ‘pup,’ don’t you think? Don’t feel badly, mom and I totally bombed. I mean, whoever heard of a ‘cria‘ other than maybe a mama llama?? Ha, looks like I’m a poet! Be sure to check out the last part of alphabet babies next week.
Hey there sport’s fans…Sam here! If you’ve been overdosing on watching March Madness, here’s a short trivia quiz to re-stimulate your brain. So set that remote down and put on your thinking cap!
How many taste buds do dogs typically have?
Three dogs survived from the sinking of the Titanic. Do you know their breeds?
At what frequency do dog hear?
How many muscles do dogs typically have in their ears?
What breed of dog is born with a ‘soft’ spot in their skull similar to human babies?
True or False…did Sigmund Freud used a dog to assist in his therapy sessions.
What breed of dog did Napoleon own?
Well that’s it for me in this edition. Gotta go and burn my bracket. Anyone else surprised the Syracuse men and women’s teams were sooo good?
ANSWERS
Dogs typically have 1700 taste buds which probably explains why they enjoy ‘gourmet’ garbage. Humans have about 9000 and cats have 473 which might explain feline finickiness. 🙂
All from first class cabins, two Pomeranians and a Pekingese. Guess it pays to be a lap dog.
Frequency is measured in Hertz…the higher the Hertz, the higher-pitched the sound. Dogs hear best at 8,000 Hz, while humans hear best at around 2,000 Hz. [Sam’s mom: This of course does not explain why Sam seemingly doesn’t hear some commands…can anyone explain that other than he’s either stubborn or stupid?
Dogs have 18 muscles controlling their ears (cats have 32, humans have only 6) [Sam: So how come mom can hear me licking my leg in the dead of night when she’s asleep if she only has 6?! I just don’t understand.
A plaque commemorating those 2 rascals is in the park area next to the Transamerica Pyramid. This bonded pair were allowed to roam free by local law enforcement and their escapades as rat-catchers and petty thieves were featured in cartoons and newspaper stories. [Source: Encyclopedia of San Francisco]
Chihuahuas are the only breed born with an incomplete skull. The soft spot known as a molera in dogs (for us uprights, it’s called the fontenel) isn’t a defect; it’s a normal adaptation for easing passage through the birth canal. Like human babies, care must be taken the first six months to avoid injury as it develops.
True! Freud believed Jo-Fi, a Chow, would move closer to patients as they become less stressed.
This was a trick question because I’m a pill of a dog. 🙂 Napoleon never owned dogs, in fact hated them even when a Newfoundland saved him from drowning.
Sam here. Ever notice how we 4-legged fur-iends manage to park our furs smack dab in the middle of the smallest room of the house and give you the “why do you have to keep stepping over or around me” look? Wanna to fix breakfast? Yeah, go around me-you’re not getting into the Frig while I’m hanging out here in front of it (may I suggest dry cereal or toast instead of eggs) and don’t even think about trying to load or empty the dishwasher. Our kitchen was never intended for a dog to hang out in…that’s for sure. Owning it like a rock star, right?
It’s a scientific fact that us dogs will hang out directly under our uprights just to make life more interesting. Trust me, it’s a rule and is also in the Dog Trivia Handbook.
Where do you hang out to make life more ‘interesting’ for your upright? Bonus points if it’s in between their feet or legs.
Sam here. It may be the Ides of March today on the calendar and while I know it’s been a while since our last one, but we thought it might be fun to do another Tuesday Trivia post today. So we searched sniffed around and found some really interesting facts. Think you know the names of some famous (and infamous) dogs? All righty then, let’s get started!
What was the name of the dog in The Adventures of Tintin?
What was the name of Stephen King’s rabid eponymous St. Bernard?
What was the name of Bill Sikes,’ Bull Terrier (from the classic, Oliver Twist)?
What was the name of the dog in both novel and movie The Call of the Wild?
In Greek Mythology, what is the distinguishing factor of the dog, Cerberus?
What was the name of the dog who found the FIFA World Cup Jules Rimet trophy after it was stolen in 1966?
What was the name of King Arthur’s favorite hunting dog reported to have left a permanent footprint in the rock while pursuing the boar Troynt ?
What was the name of Odysseus’ faithful hound in Homer’s book, The Odyssey?
What is the name of Mrs. Pumphrey’s Pekingese in the James Herriot’s vet stories?
What is the name of the Bulldog in the Tom and Jerry cartoons – bonus point for naming his baby son?
What was the name of the dog in the Punch and Judy shows?
What are the names of Farmer Maggot’s 3 guard dogs in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
Some of these were kind of tough, how well did you do?
Live, love, bark! <3
Answers: (1) Snowy; (2) Cujo; (3) Bulls Eye; (4) Buck; (5) He was a 3-headed guard dog to the gates of Hades; (6) Pickles; (7) Cavall (or Cafall or Caball); (8) Argos; (9) Tricki Woo; (10) Spike (and Tyke; (11) Toby the Dog; (12) Fang, Grip and Wolf
It’s a cool and foggy morning but when it’s Tuesday that means it’s trivia day. Sam here…mom is being a slacker (again) so here I am working hard as usual on the blog.
Seems like a bunch of you were stumped with the last edition and both mom and I thought last week’s facts were more than challenging. With today’s fog here in the 303, my brain is a little slow today too so we’re keeping this one simple-ish.
What breed of dog gets its name because it strikes out with its front paws when fighting?
How do dogs sweat?
Our fur-iends over at Will & Eko should know this one. Where did Rhodesian Ridgebacks get their name from?
What breed of dog is the smallest in the sporting dog group?
Name the smallest breed of dog used in the hunting.
What popular breed of dog was originally named St. John’s Newfoundland?
But before we get to the answers…here are a couple of interesting facts I found while scanning the Internet.
Did you know that all dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like critter called Miacis (mom sometimes calls me a lap weasel because I try to bury myself in her lap…you think she knew about this one)? They later evolved into Tomarctus which is the direct predecessor of the genus Canis which includes wolves, jackals and dogs.
In 2003 Dr. Roger Mugford invented the ‘wagometer’ which he claimed correctly interprets a dog’s mood by measuring the wags of our tails (good luck with measuring Old English Sheepdogs, pal-their little stumps of a tail never stop moving to get measured).
And the strangest fact of all which kind of wigs mom out was that dog’s shoulder blades are not attached to the rest of their skeleton and allows for greater flexibility for running. No wonder I’m such a flexible, slinky dude who can wrap himself around like a pretzel! Just call me a Yoga Master.
Now for the answers…drum roll please:
(1) The Boxer (I chose this one because of my ‘BFF’ Lulu, who is quite the Boxer in every sense of the word and only thinks she doesn’t like me; (2) Through their pads of our feet; (3) That ridge along their backs grows in the opposite direction of the rest of their fur (you did get this one correct right, huh Penny?); (4) The Cocker Spaniel; (5) Dachshunds (or as we call ’em in Germany…Dackels). They were developed to hunt badgers more than 300 years ago and because they’re built low to the ground were able to enter and maneuver through tunnels easily. Even their name spells it out-dachs means “badger” and hund of course is “dog” auf Deutsch; (6) This ever popular breed is the Labrador Retriever and to see a couple of terrific ones with the funniest stories, check out Jodi’s blog over at Heart Like a Dog. I guarantee you’ll laugh at the stories about her fur-kids. Mom is constantly snorting coffee all over the keyboard which then makes me stick to the keys. Dang it, mom! If I said it once, I’ve said it a 1,000 times, NO coffee when reading blogs! Sheesh, what’s a guy gotta do to train a biped?!
Well, that’s it for me. We hope everyone is safe and sound and starting to dry out after Hurricane Joaquin. I’m sending PPT (positive pup thoughts) to everyone affected and hope you are all getting back to normal. Till next time pups…later!
It’s Tuesday so that means it’s time for some trivia! Sam here, mom’s got a touch of laryngitis so I offered to do this week’s trivia (bwahaha, she couldn’t argue when I grabbed the laptop because she’s a bit croaky so I think I’m gonna love the next few days of peace and quiet and no scolding from her).
So here is this week’s ‘All About Dogs” trivia questions with the answers listed below. See how many you get correct.
Do you know the breed of dog first known as the Rothbury Terrier?
Which dog is considered barkless but who actually makes a noise much like a yodeling Swiss Mountain climber?
What breed of dog has a black tongue while every other known dog’s tongue is pretty in pink?
What was the name of the dog from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”?
What is the smallest breed of dog as recognized by the AKC?
If you got the smallest breed, do you know the largest dog breed recognized by the AKC?
What inspired the Chewbacca character from Star Wars? [hint, it was George Lucas’ what?]
Do you know why dogs and wolves yawn?
Here’s an easy one…Dalmatians born with what color?
Ok, here’s a harder one…what breed is the state dog of North Carolina? I’m gonna have to find out why Colorado doesn’t seem to have a state dog. What’s up with that?!
What breed appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records as the rarest dog in the world for 3 consecutive years in the early 1970’s?
Name the breed of dog on Columbo’s TV series?
While we’re on TV shows, what was the name of the dog on “The Partridge Family”? That’s a hard one.
What’s the name of the dog on the Cracker Jack box?
And finally, do dogs favor one paw (left or right) over the other?
And now…drum roll please…here are the answers!
The Basenji who produces an unusual yodel-like sound commonly called a ‘barroo,’ resulting from its unusually shaped larynx.
The Bedlington Terrier (you could have fooled me).
Chow chow (I think Martha Stewart’s tongue is jet black too).
Max (I don’t get it-is that some kind of inside joke amongst you bipeds?).
The Chihuahua naturally…those little puplets are only 6-9″ tall at the shoulders and weigh anywhere from 2-6 lbs. Talk about ankle biters!
The Irish Wolfhound who stands 30-35 inches at the shoulder and weighs anywhere from 105-125 lbs. minimum and officially the tallest of all dogs though not the heaviest. Mom’s daughter has two of them and boy are they big! Loki is my best running buddy but I have to double time it to keep up with her because like all sight hounds…she’s fast (no, I mean, really. really. fast)!
George Lucas’ dog Indiana, an Alaskan Malamute.
Yawning is a sign of contentment.
White. They get their spots 3-4 weeks following their birth.
The Plott Hound. Say what?
The Shar-Pei.
A Basset Hound (and the poor thing had no name).
Simone. Wait, what? Simone, seriously?
The iconic snack food box displays Sailor Jack with his dog, Bingo.
Dogs are like people in that yes, they totally have a dominant paw like their human counterparts. The Institute for the Study of Animal Problems connected tests on cats and dogs that showed they are either right or left-handed. Then there are some of us who are ambidextrous meaning we can get in trouble every which way! 😉
Well I hope you enjoyed those interesting facts and win the trivia bowl at your neighborhood pub. Have a groovy Tuesday Trivia.
Psst, Sam here. I’m gonna be whispering because Mom is in the other room trying to catch up on blog reading so I thought I’d help her out by doing the latest edition of Tuesday Trivia. Don’t laugh too loud, we don’t want to disturb her, ok? She’s been dying to read what everyone has been up to lately.
Did you know that the Kublai Kahn owned 5,000 Mastiffs at one time and holds the record for most dogs ever owned b a single person? Yikes, how’d you like to clean up THAT dog run?
That crazy rock star Ozzy Osborne once rescued his wife’s Pomeranian from a coyote by wrestling it until it dropped the dog. That guy is just too weird. After seeing Sharon in action, I think she could handle a mere coyote without having to get Ozzy in the mix but what do I know, I’m just a dog with a blog.
We’ve all heard various stories about US Presidents and their love for their dogs. We’ve all heard the stories about Lyndon Johnson picking up his Beagle ‘Him’ by the ears and saying it “was good for him” as well as Richard Nixon’s dog Checkers who died when he was Vice President, but did you know that Franklin Roosevelt dispatched a destroyer to the Aleutian Islands to pick up his dog Fala who had been left behind. Yikes! Who leaves the president’s dog behind on an island? I’m guessing someone might have lost a job because of that mistake!
Our fur-iends, the Beagle and Border Collies are thought to be the dog breeds that bark the most. Is that true, guys?
Did you know there are cave paintings of dogs in Spain that are over 12,000 years old? We canines have been around protecting you guys for a long time I see! 🐾
Dogs were the first animals domesticated by humans…and life hasn’t been quite the same since.
A dog’s heart beats between 70 and 120 times a minute as compared with you bipeds whose hearts beat between 70 and 80 times a minute. I know when I have to go to the vet or the groomers, my heart nearly jumps out of my chest!
Us dogs have a normal body temperature of 100.5 to 102.5 degrees F. All the more reason to not leave us in a car when you go shopping!
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the smallest dog on record was a Yorkshire Terrier in Great Britain who weighed just 4 oz. at age 2! Is that even really considered a dog? Sounds more like a pup-squeak to me! 😉
Another Guinness Book of World Records indicates that an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey lived to be 29 years old. Do you think he was drinking from the Fountain of Youth?
And…get this…it is widely thought that people who own dogs live longer, have less stress and fewer heart attacks (unless you run out into the street when mom calls you over to the car-oops…).
More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog and most pet owners (94%) say their pet makes them smile more than once a day..
70% of people sign their pet’s name on greeting cards and 58% include their pets in family and holiday portraits according to an American Animal Hospital Association survey.
If never spayed, a female dog, her mate and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in just 6 years. I don’t know about you, but that’s way too many babies even for this kid-loving hound. Spay and neuter your pets (and the weirdo relatives too while you’re at it).
And finally, there’s a reason us dogs don’t like rain and that’s because the sound gets amplified and hurts our sensitive ears (personally I think it’s because no one in its right mind wants to get wet…I absolutely HATE water!). I’m definitely pointing this trivia point out to mom. She thinks I’m a baby about getting wet. Woman…there’s scientific evidence…so stop trying to make me walk in the rain!!
Hope all you Trivia players score big with these factoids. Oops, I think I hear mom calling for me so…see you next time!
