Dogs
* There are more than 150 dog breeds, divided into 8 classes: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, herding, and miscellaneous. * According to a recent survey, the most popular name for a dog is Max. Other popular names include Molly, Sam, Zach, and Maggie. * Dogs can vary in size from a 36 inch (150+ lb.) Great Dane to a 2 lb. Chihuahua. * Puppies and kittens can be adopted as early as 8 weeks of age. Until then, they should stay with their moms and littermates. * About 1/3 of the dogs that are surrendered to animal shelters are purebred dogs. * Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. They sweat through the pads of their feet. * Dogs may not have as many taste buds as we do (they have about 1,700 on their tongues, while we humans have about 9,000), but that doesn't mean they're not discriminating eaters. They have over 200 million scent receptors in their noses (we have only 5 million) so it's important that their food smells good and tastes good. * The term "dog days" has nothing to do with dogs. It dates back to Roman times, when it was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun from July3 to August 11, creating exceptionally high temperatures. Cats * A cat sees about 6 times better than a human at night. * When a cat drinks, its tongue - which has tiny barbs on it - scoops the liquid up backwards. * The ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate the cat (in about 3000 BC), and used them to control pests. * Healthy adult cats are in deep sleep 15 percent of their lives. They are in light sleep 50 percent of the time. That leaves just 35 percent awake time, or roughly 6-8 hours a day. * Six-toed kittens are so common in Boston and surrounding areas of Massachusetts that experts consider it an established mutation.
Rabbits, Guinea pigs, and other small animals * Our domesticated pet rabbits are descendents of