For all dog owners and lovers, we try to know as much as we can about our dogs before and even after we take them home to be part of the family. Well here are a few things which you may not have known about dogs.

This is what is called natural Bob Tail. This is due to a mutated gene which allows the Dogs tail to be completely missing or grows extremely short. There are several dog breeds which are carriers of this suppressible tail gene, here are a few:

• Australian Shepherd
  
• Austrian Pinscher
  
• Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog
  
• Braque du Bourbonnais
  
• Brazilian Terrier
  
• Brittany Spaniel
  
• Croatian Sheepdog
  
• Danish Swedish Farmdog
  
• Jack Russell Terrier
  
• Karelian Bear Dog
  
• Mudi
  
• Polish Lowland Sheepdog
  
• Pyrenean Shepherd
  
• Braque Francais aka Savoy Sheepdog
  
• Schipperke
  
• Spanish Water Dog
  
• Swedish Vallhund
  
• Pembroke Welsh Corgi
  

Have you ever heard the time color blind? Many people say men are color blind, what does this actually mean? It simply means that you are unable to see or differentiate all colors. Dogs and humans eye act the same. They both have three cones which purpose is to catch light. The thing is that some people may have a missing cone which allows them to see less colors, but they do see colors!  The thing is that dogs have fewer cones than humans do which means that their color perspective is not as sharp as ours and in fact will not be able to see various colors. But the fact is that Dogs are still able to sea other colors than what many people believe to be is simply grey or white

When we as humans perspire or sweat, there are tiny holes in our skin which allows water to exit out skins in order to lower our body temperature. Without this sweat, many people who venture out on hot days would probably be fainting. Dogs do not have pores and therefore they find other means of cooling down there body temperature. They do this by panting. Dogs use panting as a way  to cool himself down. You will often see your dog with its tongue stuck out and breathing heavily with its mouth open. This allows the moisture on his tongue to evaporate, and the heavy breathing also allows the moist lining of their lungs to serve as a surface from which moisture can evaporate.

There are many of us who have the notion that dogs are born knowing how to swim naturally. What as ignited those rumors is the fact that once a dog its the water, his paws do a natural dog paddle time movement, however, that is a natural movement of nearly all four legged animal which hits the water. Not every dog paddle is effective at keeping the animal afloat, and many dogs have no idea how to move toward shore or the side of the pool. There are some dogs however who just naturally have a bond with the water and comes off as great swimmers, while some may not even doggy paddle if they somehow get into water. If you want to find out what type of swimmer your dog is, ensure that you are close by when you put him in the water and ensure that that water is not too deep. Just enough to allow him to try and paddle.

When dogs pass off, they are given a very special place in heaven for themselves. It doesn't matter if that dog was a doberman or a spaniel. There is just a garden prepared especially for them when they are ready to cross over. So no need to worry over where you dog goes when its his time. He is in the arms of an angel.

Dog owners like you and I know how to take care of our dogs properly and what we should and should not do to our loving pets. We should not only care about our own pets but look out for those pets which seem to have an abusive owner or is simply being neglected. But remember, you cannot simply judge this in one day, you need to observe the behavior of the animal towards the owner over 2-3 days and physically look at the animal to determine health status. Follow the observation rules below to determine if the animal is being abused.

1. Obverse the dog's behavior around the owner

• Dog is not happy to be around his owner. Dog owners knows that dogs just love to have a good time and once they are happy, they will be happy when they are around you. This can be observed by tail wagging, barking, running around you or simply approach you for a quick rub down. If the dog cowers when called by the owner or when the owner approaches, that should push up your radar.
  

2. Observe how the dig behaves when the owner calls his name

• Does the animal cower? Lies down or walks towards the owner with its head down and maybe tail between its legs? Or does the animal run away from the owner when called. These could also be signs of animal abuse.
  

3. Observe how the actions of the animal when it's owner raises his/her hand.

• Animals that are always being beaten know the raising of the hand too well, it symbolizes hurt and pain and will run away the very instant the hand is raised.

All the above scenarios represent a very strong possibility if the animal is being abused by the owner. If you observe all three scenarios on one animal, it is best to call the animal protection agencies to verify your observations. Let's also look at the case of pet neglect, it is much easier to spot animals which are practically neglected because most times neglect will manifest into physical deterioration of the animal. 

Look out for the signs below to determine if the Dog is neglected.

It is very sad to see many of our canine and feline friends living under these horrible conditions. If you strongly feel that the animal is being abuses. Go right ahead and call the relevant authorities. Here are some quick numbers listed below.


ASPCA - 1. Report Cruelty:

In New York City: 311 (or 911 for crimes in progress)

In NJ: (800) 582-5979 / online form

Outside NYC and NJ: Reporting Cruelty FAQ.



Animal Cops - Houston, TX 77024 - 713-869-SPCA (77