Tag: Tuesday Trivia

Tuesday Trivia

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 16 Comments

105   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.

  1. What breed of dog gets its name because it strikes out with its front paws when fighting?
  2. How do dogs sweat?
  3. Our fur-iends over at Will & Eko should know this one. Where did Rhodesian Ridgebacks get their name from?
  4. What breed of dog is the smallest in the sporting dog group?
  5. Name the smallest breed of dog used in the hunting.
  6. 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!

Live, love, bark! <3

Tuesday Trivia

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 17 Comments
  • Sam is still recovering from the weekend’s hospital duties but  I found some fun and interesting factoids for the latest edition of Tuesday Trivia.
  • Male dogs urinate with one leg up to better mark their territory. The scent shares many aspects about the sprayer, i.e. size and health. The higher a dog pees up a proverbial tree, greater judgment is considered regarding the size of that dog. It should be noted however, that male dogs do not need to lift their leg in order to pee. Yeah, well tell that to Sam. He would no doubt beg to disagree.
  • A dog’s ear is full of sensory nerves that help preserve its hearing. You should never blow into a dog’s ear even gently as it can hurt. It’s not the actual act of wind but the frequency at which you blow. Kind of like running your fingernail down a chalkboard, only amplified hundreds of times.
  • Dogs evolved from a creature similar to a wolf, “Tomarctus” (meaning father of dogs) which roamed earth 15,000 years ago. They were domesticated by cavemen. Greeks used dogs for hunting and as guards. Romans traveled through Europe and brought their dogs with them and they bred with local dogs and gradually created many different breeds.
  • There are 701 types of purebred dogs divided into 6 groups: toys, hounds, herding, sporting, non-sporting, and working.
  • Most domesticated dogs are capable of reaching speeds of approximately 19.88 mph (32 km) when running full-out. Greyhounds can reach speeds up to nearly 43 1/2 mph (70 km).

 

Piazza Dante e Monumento - the monument to Fido
Piazza Dante e Monumento – the monument to Fido
  • The name “Fido” comes from Latin and means ‘fidelity.’
  • The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world.
  • Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the bible. And finally…
  • People who own pets live longer, have less stress, and fewer heart attacks (unless they’re trying to navigate a set of stairs where the dog thinks he must race down them at lightning speed). Till next time, do you know any tantalizing trivia?

Live, love, bark! <3

Tuesday Trivia ~ August 18, 2015

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 23 Comments

IMG_1219

Sam here and it’s Tuesday so you know what that means? It’s Tuesday Trivia! For this edition, we found some rather fascinating facts.

Personally, I think dogs are such interesting creatures. Did you know that apart from barking, growling and whining, dogs use their ears and facial expressions to communicate what they are feeling? I’m still wondering what Dr. Sarah thought of my jumping up on top of the table Monday evening at our re-certification exam. I don’t think she was quite expecting that at all! All I wanted was for her to give me some of the really yummy treats for poking and prodding me but like most humans, she didn’t seem to understand what I was trying to get across.

Did you know that puppies are born blind, without teeth and the ability to hear? Their eyes open only at around 10-14 days, and their hearing comes after that. Teeth start coming through at 6 weeks. That must be why those little razors try to make up for all that lost time by biting and chewing like 4 legged piranhas!

Speaking of puppies, during their first week, did you know they spend 90% of their time sleeping and just 10% eating?

In honor of mom’s work at the law firm, we thought we’d share a couple legal tidbits. I learned that it is illegal to own a dog as a pet In Iran. You have to be able to prove any dog is a guard or hunting dog. That seems dumb to this canine, what could possibly be behind that dumb law? Do you think I could pass as a guard or hunting dog? Yeah, me neither. I’ll remind mom that we must never go there (pfft…as if we would).

Another weird law relating to dogs is a little closer to home.  Back in Paulding, Ohio, police officers are allowed to bite a dog to get it to be quiet. This poodle thinks that’s just plain police brutality running amuck!

Now for a little more geography. Did you know French Poodles did not come from France? Poodles (like moi) are of German descent (Achtung!). We were bred to retrieve water fowl or so I’m told. I, on the other hand, was bred just to make people happy. They can get their own damn fowl as far as I’m concerned.

IMG_0966   The dachshund is one of the oldest dog breeds around dating back to ancient Egypt. The name comes from one of its earliest uses–hunting badgers. In German, Dachs means badger and Hund means hound.

Well that’s it for me this week. Do you know of any other interesting trivia about dogs?

Live, love, bark! <3

Tuesday Trivia ~ July 28, 2015

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 30 Comments

It’s Tuesday so that means…it’s Trivia Day. Check out the latest fascinating facts I recently discovered.

IMG_1522 Did you know that the wetness of a dog’s nose is essential for determining what direction a smell is coming from? I expect all of you with hunters will have known this, but this was completely unknown by me.

And why are dog’s noses wet? Dogs secret a thin layer of mucous that helps them absorb scents. Licking their nose help them sample the scent through their mouths.

When English poet Lord Byron was informed that his beloved dog, Boatswain would not be allowed to accompany him to Cambridge Trinity College, he retaliated by bringing a tame bear instead. There being no mention of bears in their statutes, the college authorities relented.  Byron also suggested that he would apply for a college fellowship for the bear.

Puppies have 28 teeth and normal adult dogs have 42. If that’s true, how come when a puppy play bites, you feel like you’ve just been bitten by the shark from Jaws?

While we’re on exploring the anatomy of dogs, did you know that their shoulder blades are unattached to the rest of the skeleton to allow for greater flexibility for running? Wild, huh?

Besides sweating through the pads of their paws, dogs pant to cool themselves off. A panting dog can take 300-400 breaths (compared with the regular 30-40) with little effort. When your dog’s feet smell like corn chips it’s because their feet are in constant contact with the ground picking up tons of microorganisms on the paws. When dogs cool off by sweating through the pads, the combination of moisture and bacteria releases that nutty, popcorn-like aroma. the term, Frito Feet is roughly akin to canine body order.

Plutodog

With the recent fly by of the little beloved planet, Pluto, I thought you’d appreciate knowing the very first animal launched into space was the Russian dog, Laika who orbited the earth in 1957 in the spacecraft Sputnik 2. Laika was a 3 year-old stray female from the streets of Moscow. Sadly, she did not survive the trip (and was not expected to survive by scientists on the ground), reportedly dying on the fourth day of the trip, though there were conflicting accounts as to the actual cause of death. Her remains disintegrated when the craft re-entered the atmosphere five months following the launch.

laika-sputnik-2

 

The shape of a dog’s face suggest how long it will live. Dogs with sharp-pointed faces (much like wolves) typically live longer. Dogs with flat faces, i.e. bulldogs, often have shorter lives.

And in the ‘hear’s looking at you category, dogs have three eyelids, an upper, a lower and a third lid, known as a nictitating membrane or haw that keeps the eye lubricated and protected.

Live, love, bark! <3