International Dog Day - 20 Facts about dogs, founder, celebrations

International Dog Day will be celebrated across the world today. While there can be many reasons to celebrate these four-legged friends, let's recall the history, facts and significance of the event

International Dog Day is marked on August 26 every year to celebrate the contribution of dogs to our daily lives. While people might hate or love dogs, nobody can deny their existence and contribution to mankind.

A dog is considered a human's best friend. There are infinite quotes, facts and stories about dogs that you might know. Here are some of the amazing facts, history and how it is celebrated in the world.

Also read | This International Dog Day make your locality animal friendly

International Dog Day: 20 facts about dogs

Apart from being human's best friend, there are dozens of astonishing things about this four-legged noble creature. Here are some fun facts about dogs that everyone should know.

Dogs can sense illness, storms and disasters

It is reported in many polls that many pet owners see their dogs acting weird before an earthquake or storm. They become aggressive, start crying or hide in a safe spot. This is also referred to as the dog's sixth sense.

Tail wagging is a sign of love, fear, aggression, and insecurity

Let's break out the false notion that dogs wag their tails when they are happy. According to Discovery's website, dogs wag their tails to the left when they are scared, and to the right when they are happy. Also, they wag their tail low when insecure. A dog can also wag his or her tail constantly when they're aggressive.

Every dog nose is unique

A dog nose is a counterpart of biometrics in humans. Every dog's nose has a unique pattern of creases and bumps. Hence, a dog's nose can be an important identifier.

They have exceptional hearing ability

Dogs can hear those vibrations which humans can not understand. They have perfectly-positioned ears that help them pick up more sounds. It is also believed that they tilt their heads to listen to the source of a sound.

Dogs are smarter than toddlers

According to Professor Stanley Coren, a dog is smarter than a two-year-old child. A dog's brain can comprehend more than 150 words, trick people and manipulate other dogs. However, their intelligence depends on their breeds. 

Border collies are the smartest dog breed

A Border Collie is a British breed of dog used for livestock and herding. These medium-sized pets have roots in the British Isles and are predominantly found in the Anglo-Scottish Border region.

Dogs do dream

Ever noticed your dog or any dog fidgeting in their sleep, this happens because of the dream phenomenon. Research has found that dogs have similar sleeping patterns and brain activity as humans, and they dream like us.

Dogs have an underdeveloped taste and one-sixth lesser taste buds than humans

You read it right. Dogs have taste buds that are six times lesser than humans. A human tongue has 9000 taste buds, while dogs have merely 1700. It could be the reason why dogs are less discriminatory about edibles than we do.

Dog's face shape defines their life spans

A dog's face shape determines how long it will live. While a dog's average life span is 11-13 years, the longer face of a dog means a bigger life span.

Dogs have scent receptors that are 40 times larger than the average human being

It is the most common fact that dogs are better at smelling things. They have more than 100 million scent receptors making them the most efficient animal for investigating crime scenes, sniffing out drugs, explosives, dead bodies and everything.

Dog breath is truly unhealthy

If your dog is having bad breath for a longer span, it is a sign of health problems, especially dental disease. Hence, it is crucial to get dogs examined every year by a veterinarian doctor.

Dogs experience jealousy

Whether they have acquired it from humans or not, Dogs get jealous like us. It might not be as crude as human jealousy but they get envious when there is a lack of attention from the owners.

Dogs are not colour blind

Dogs do have trouble differentiating between distinct shades of red and green, as they appear as browns and grays, So, dogs being colour blind is a major myth and is proven to be untrue. Though "partially colour blind" could be the right term. 

A dog's yawn is different from a human's yawn

Dog's yawning is a sign of being stressed out. It is presumed that yawning is a sign of sleepiness. Dog's yawning has more to do with feeling anxious. 

Dogs sleep in a circular shape

If you have ever noticed why dogs sleep in a circular shape or bend their back in such a way? It is because of their survival instinct to fight against predator attacks.

Petting your dog can help reduce your blood pressure

Petting a dog can reduce your blood pressure by 10 percent. Also, it happens to dogs as well. Petting reduces anxiety for them and regulates our blood pressure.

Dogs heat up faster

Unlike humans, dogs have a higher body temperature around 101.5-degrees Fahrenheit. This is why they might hate summers or hot temperatures. As a pet owner, you should never walk your dog on a hot day. 

Dog's life span depends on different breeds

Dogs come in distinct breeds. And there is no direct formula to define their age. The life stages of dogs depend on different breeds, their habitat and lifestyle. People use the formula of one human year to seven dog years for defining ages. 

Dog licking is not what we think

Dogs lick the face of their mothers when they are born. This instinct is to express their hunger. Hence, when a dog licks your face, it might be hungry. 

Obesity is a dog's major problem

Apart from being expressive like humans, dogs also suffer from obesity. This happens because of lethargic lifestyles, consumption and no physical exercise. Thus, cats are generally faster than dogs.

International Dog Day: Who started it?

In 2004, Collen Paige, an author, dog trainer and conservationist started this campaign in the support of Animal welfare advocacy and the pet lifestyle.

August 26 was decided as International Dog Day as it was Paige's family adopted Shelti(dog) who was 10 years old.

International Dog Day: How is it observed?

International Dog Day is dedicated to celebrating the compassion of love for dogs by humans across the world. While dogs might not be treated well in India, the United States of America observe it gleefully.

In 2013, it was adopted and recognized as a national holiday. Later on, other nations also started celebrating it officially by feeding dogs, sheltering them and grooming them.

(Written by Zuhair Zaidi)