Ons gaan elke maand fokus op 'n nuwe onderwerp. Ons wil graag hé hierdie bladsy moet julle, die publiek sin raak. As daar enige iets is waaroor julle meer wil weet, en julle wil hé ons moet dit op die bladsy plaas, is julle meer as welkom om vir ons 'n email te stuur met julle voorstelle. Stuur jou voorstel na Suzette Theunissen by spcapaarl@telkomsa.net.

Dog month - Mans best friend

Dogs are know as mans best friend. And that is true, because dogs are always there for their owners. It's always fun to have a puppy, but just remember, dogs live up to 15 years. So be prepared to have a friend for live, and to give love and attention for the rest of your puppies life.

HISTORY:

Dogs form part of the Canidae family, a family including wolves, coyotes and foxes, thought to have evelved 60 million years ago.  The Domesticated dog is a descendent of the wolf which entered villages in the Northen Hemisphere in search of food about 12,000 years ago.  People gradually discovered that the wolves could be tamed (if young) and then used for such purposes as guarding, herding and hunting.  Particula characteristics were selected, which has resulted in the huge diversity of breeds today.

The first records of true domesticated dogs date back to the Egyptians wher a breed of dog called the Saluki appears on the ancient tombs of Egypt from around 2100 BC and is thought to be the dog mentioned in the Bible. It is often found mummified along with the Equptian Pharaohs in Pyramids.  The ancient Greeks and Romans developed a number of breeds including the greyhound, mastiff and bloodhound.  The Romans mande sacrifices to the dog-like god Procyon.  

Dalmatians were trained to run along with horse and carriages in the mid 1800s, and became known as carriage dogs.  Their job was to guard from other dogs which would chase the carriage and frighten the horses.  Fire departments also used dalmatians to guard their carriages and the dalmatian became mascot of the fire service.

Labrador Retrievers originate from Newfoundland where they were trained by Canadian fisherman to dive into the icy waters off Canada to retrieve fishing nets and haul them back to the boat!

FUN FACTS ABOUT DOGS

• It is a myth that dogs are color blind.  They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
• Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a specila light-reflecting layer behind their retinas.
• Dogs only sweat glands are between their paw pads.
• Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age.
• A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human.
• The U.S has the highest dog population in the world, France has the 2nd highest.
• Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures.
• The prase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats an dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.
• Dogs have no sense of "time".
• Only dogs and humans have prostates
• Dogs do not have an appendix.
• The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
• There are 703 brreeds of purebred dogs
• A dog's smell is more then 100,000 times stronger than that of a human's
• Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine(similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill.
• All dogs are identical in anatomy - 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth.
• Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds
• Puppies sleep 90% of the day for thier first few weeks
• Dogs have 2 times as many muscles to move their ears as people
• The longer a dog's nose, the more effective it's internal cooling system
• Dogs' sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human's
• Dalmation puppies are born completely white
• A dog's heart beats up to 120 times per minute
• Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees
• After birth, puppies' eyes do not fully open until they're about 12 days old
• Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month.

• The world's smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever

• while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan Hound

An African wold dog known as the Basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark.