Interesting Dog Facts

The average American dog will cost its owner approximately $14,600 over its lifetime.

Three percent of Americans shower with their dogs.

Sixty-three percent of pet owners sleep with their pets.

In their first year of life, puppies grow 10 times faster than human infants do.

Sixty percent of pets in Great Britain have some form of health insurance.

One in three dog owners say they've talked to their pets on the phone.

A dog can't hear the lowest key on a piano.

Houdini trained his dog to escape from a pair of miniature handcuffs.

Even bloodhounds can't smell the difference between two identical twins.

The tallest dog on record: Gibson, a Harlequin Great Dane who stands 42.6 inches tall.

In 2003, U.S. postal workers were bitten by dogs 3,423 times.

The basenji is the only dog breed that doesn't bark.

Top four biting dogs: German shepherd, chow chow, collie, and Akita.

Least likely biters: Chihuahua, golden retriever, poodle, Scottish terrier, and Shetland sheepdog.

Border collies are the most intelligent breed. Afghan hounds are the dumbest.

Ten percent of all dalmatians are born deaf.

Bloodhounds are the only animals whose evidence is admissible in U.S. courts.

Dog with the best eyesight: the greyhound.

Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible. Cats aren't mentioned even once.