• Nobody knows where the word dog comes from. • The word originally meant dog. It's from the Latin catulus, a small dog or puppy. • There is only one species of • There are more than 400 different breeds of dog. • The largest breed of dog is the St Bernard, which commonly weighs 1501b. The smallest is the chihuahua, which weighs less than 21b. •Unusual breeds of dog include the Majestic Tree Hound; the Abyssinian Sand Terrier; the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever; the New Guinea Singing Dog; the Clumber Spaniel; the Billy; the Bolognese; the Dunker; the Petit Bleu de Gascogne; and the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. •Dogs have been domesticated for at least 32,000 years. There is a theory that it was their own decision and humans had no choice in the matter. •Dogs are more intelligent than cats. They can learn 165 words and count up to four or five, and have a basic understanding of arithmetic. •US military dogs outrank their handlers. •Dogs prefer reggae and soft rock to classical music. •English has more words for the noises dogs make than any other language. •Dogs actually like the silly, high-pitched voice their owners use to talk to them. •Dogs know when their owners are ill and are much better than doctors at diagnosing cancer. •Cat-owners are more intelligent than dog-owners. •More than a third of the 8.5 million dogs in Britain are obese. • 250,000 pet dogs in Britain never get taken for a walk. • In Tehran, walking a dog is illegal. • Dogs have more nervous breakdowns than any other kind of animal. • Eating dogs is legal in 44 US states.
