Who knew that animals are like people in having to learn other languages to be understood in different cultures? It may seem that the basic sound made by dogs, “woof,” would be […]
How Do Dogs Bark in Other Languages?
Smoky and the Army Airborne
Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
SMOKY At the beginning of of 1944, Smoky, a Yorkshire terrier, was found by an American soldier with a stalled jeep in the New Guinea jungle where…
Mark Your Calendar for “What If Dogs and Cats Had Opposable Thumbs Day”
Have you ever wondered what would happen if dogs and cats had opposable thumbs? If so, there is a special day for you to take your imagination to even higher levels. If […]
Rabies — 100% Fatal and 100% Preventable
When it comes to killer diseases, you will be hard-pressed to find anything more lethal than rabies. Tens of thousands of people contract the disease each year. Once the symptoms begin to […]
Urian: the Greyhound Responsible for the English Reformation
History books tell us that England embraced the Protestant Reformation because its king wanted a divorce. What the books frequently fail to point out is that a dog — more precisely, a […]
The Last-Minute Change that Created One of TV’s Favorite Shows
It was 1969 and Fred Silverman had to scramble to revise his big plans. He staked a lot on a new children’s program that he was sure was going to be a […]
British Brake for Dogs, But Not Cats
Drivers in the United Kingdom whose cars collide with a dog are required to file a report with the police. If they hit a cat, no one seems to care. The law […]
Warm Words About Man’s Best Friend
Of all the animals on earth, none has made the impact on the human heart quite as much as the dog. The following observations demonstrate why the dog has justifiably earned the […]
Hounding a Way Around a No-Dog Rule
Cambridge University’s Selwyn College has a strict no-dogs rule for its residents. That didn’t stop the master of the college from bringing his Bassett Hound with him; it just required a rather […]
A Biological Reason for a Dog’s Love
Although the blue whale holds the record for the largest heart of any creature on the planet, its heart consists of a mere 0.12 percent of its entire body mass. Most animals […]
Helen Keller and the Dog Breed She Brought to the USA
Helen Keller (1880-1968), the legendary speaker, author, and political activist who overcame deafness and blindness, made an often-overlooked contribution to American dog lovers; she introduced the Akita breed to the United States.
A Dog’s Loyalty is a High Honor
The love and loyalty of man’s best friend is not something that should be taken for granted. No one recognized this fact better than the Irish. There, the dog (known in Celtic […]
Meet Pickles — the Dog Who Saved the World Cup
The athletic world was rocked by the news that the Jules Rimet Trophy — the premier prize in soccer — had been stolen. The date was March 20, 1966, and England was […]
Moo-ve Over Toto… We’re Not in Doggyland Anymore
Who can imagine The Wizard of Oz without Dorothy’s faithful canine friend, Toto? Apparently, the author, L. Frank Baum, could envision such a thing. In the original stage production in 1902, Baum replaced […]
Dog Dinner Parties and Shoe Calendars: the Life of Francis Egerton
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (May 21, 1736 – March 8, 1803), is remembered as the “father of British inland navigation.” He is credited for the Bridgewater Canal, commonly identified as […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 