Just Resting Up

Sometimes you just have to relax...whether you want to or not.

Hi all, Lily the Corgi here.  The record flooding continues in our area so we've been stuck inside a lot this past week.  I've been catching up on a lot of resting.  We still have our new foster, Casper, and he is still a very disturbed little guy, but he is making progress.  He can sometimes make it in and out the door on his own.  He has made a couple of attempts to play with Lucy and Sadie and he did manage to play with a toy once this week.  On the down side, he's developed an attachment to our mama that I'm not liking so much.  When she leaves the house, he gets so upset he tries to tear up things and poops the floor.  *Sigh*  He is a work in progress.  I'll keep you posted.

The new guy learns to gnaw on a toy.

So, since there hasn't been so much going on here this week, I thought I'd give you another edition of Fun Facts about Dogs!

1.  We all know chows have those cool looking black tongues, right?  Well, did you know when chows are born, their tongues are pink just like all the rest of us doggies?  The tongues turn that black color when the dog is around 2 months old.

2.  Speaking of doing a lot of resting... a resting dog takes about 30-40 breaths per minute.  A panting dog can breathe 300-400 times per minute.  You'd think we'd hyperventilate, but we are able to breathe like that in order to help us cool off since we have limited sweat glands to help with cooling.

3.  My sister Sadie and I are both herding dogs, which means we are considered to be fairly intelligent dog breeds.  Lucy is a beagle mix, so people sometimes underestimate her devious little mind.  Thankfully, we don't have any of the world's dumbest dogs in our family--the Afghan Hound.

4.  On the subject of intelligence--The average dog is as intelligent as a 2 year old child.  Yesterday, our human cousin Cohen turned 2.  He's a pretty smart little guy but I'm pretty sure I could outscore him on most intelligence tests.

The birthday boy stood there while his grandfather sprayed him in the face!  Now, I ask you, would a corgi allow such treatment?  I don't think so!

5.  You know that Taco Bell dog?  Well, you'd expect it to be named something very ethnic and proudly Mexican, right?  Yeah, not so much.  The Taco Bell dog is named Gidget.

5.  Think only mutts and rejects end up in animal shelters?  Well,think again.  Approximately 1/3 of all dogs in shelters are purebred dogs.  

6.  Back in the day, lots of dogs were named "Fido," which came from the Latin word for fidelity, or faithfulness. I'm not fond of Fido as a name but the sentiment is quite nice.  Still, I'm glad to be Lily.

7.  In the US, about 1 million dogs are listed as the primary benefiaries of their owners estates.  Hmm, I don't think I've ever heard my parents mention any sort of trust for me.

8.  Ever seen a scared dog tuck its tail between its legs?  Not only does that look all submissive but there is a chemical reason for that!  Dogs identify each other through scent, and a lot of that scent is carried through scent glands in the rear of the dog (think butt sniffing.)  When a dog tucks tail, she is actually attempting to prevent someone or some dog from knowing who she is!

Poor fraidy Sadie!  She's a chronically scared dog without a tail to tuck!

9.  Having it all--Not only are greyhounds the Olympic runners of the dog world, it is believed they also have the sharpest eyesight of the dog world.

10. Dog whiskers are used as a sensory device.  Some dogs, as well as cats, use their whiskers to see if they'll fit in a confined space.  Picture a dashchund going to ground in a hole using those whiskers as little radars to determine whether he'll get stuck or not!

Cousin Quincy, the ancient wiener dog; he doesn't do much tunnelling anymore--

except perhaps in the couch cushions.

Well, I hope I was able to give you some info that was useful,educational, or entertaining.  They say it is supposed to be dry for a few days around here, so maybe the flooding will end sometime soon and we'll be able to resume our spring romping and exploring.  Take care of yourselves, all, til next time.

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

Facts for this blog post came from the following:

VetStreet

Cesar

PetFinder

mspca

FunnyFidos.com

Bark Post

fuzfeed