August 2024
The American Kennel Club says 15 human years are equal to the first year of a medium-sized dog's life. A dog’s second year equals nine human years, and each subsequent year equals roughly five human years.
Judy the English Pointer was the only dog officially registered as a prisoner of war in World War II. Born in Shanghai, China, in February 1936, Judy was eventually adopted by the crew of a British ship, which was later torpedoed by the Japanese, leading all aboard to become prisoners of war. After the war, she was celebrated as a hero and awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal, Britain’s highest honor for military animals. Judy crossed the rainbow bridge in February 1950.
In 1916, a stray Poodle helped foil a burglary at the Wells Fargo in San Mateo, California. As a reward, he was named Teddy and adopted as an official Wells Fargo employee.
Dingos were first brought to Australia by seafaring people more than 3,000 years ago. Recently, scientists have compared fossilized Dingo DNA with that of modern Dingos on the Australian island of K'gari and determined that the DNA is unchanged, indicating they have not bred with domestic dogs.
Some Labradors and Flat-Coated Retrievers may have a genetic mutation that makes them prone to obesity by causing them to feel hungrier between meals and lowering their metabolism.
Kabosu, the Shiba Inu that is the face of Dogecoin, passed away in her sleep in May 2024 at the age of 18.