According to a recent University of Arizona study, children who play with the family dog have higher levels of oxytocin - a.k.a. “the love hormone" - than if they play with toys and games.

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.

For more than 40 years, monks and nuns at the monastery of New Skete in Cambridge, New York, have bred and trained German Shepherds.

The American Kennel Club holds more than 22,000 dog events with more than 3 million entries each year.