Dog

## About Dogs

Dogs are vertebrate animals, belonging to the mammal group. They're omnivores, that means they eat both meat and vegetables. Their size depend on the breed and the largest can weigh up to 177 pounds and measure up to 6 feet, but there are also smaller ones. They are domesticated animals, which means they live together with humans.

Did you know that dogs are related to wolves? Numerous studies have shown that dogs and wolves share many DNA traits. It's true that at first glance, some dog breeds look very similar to wolves.

It's believe that dogs were the first domesticated animal. Their origins can be traced back to the wolf, but over the course of many generations there have been changes or mutations that have resulted in different dog breeds. Humans have helped this by cross-breeding these animals. In other words, by pairing males and females with certain characteristics to produce puppies with improved qualities such as size, personality or speed. These crossbreeds have created more than 340 different dog breeds all over the world. Each with its own temperament. The truth is, dogs are very different.

We can find dogs all over the world. In fact, we know that there are more than 500 million dogs all over the planet. How cool is that!

Here's a fun fact, did you know that an adult dog understands approximately 250 words of gestures? That's the same as a two year old child. That's amazing!

Have you ever had a dog bark at you while passing by a house? This is because maybe the dog is afraid of that situation or perhaps, as their very territorial animals, they're marking and protecting their territory. And how else do you mark their territory besides barking at strangers? Well, for example by marking their favorite spots with their urine. This shows anybody who decides to get close to their territory that this spot belongs to them. I'd better stay away!

Surely you've heard about dogs great sense of small. Some say that their sense of smell is 1000 times more powerful than humans. Wow! That's why dogs are used in rescue work when there is a disaster. Later I'll tell you what other jobs they have.

Did you know that dog's whiskers help them distinguish objects in the dark? They don't have night vision, but thanks to their whiskers, they're able to detect changes in air currents which gives them information about the shape of nearby things in the dark. That's impressive!

And, do you know why we call them our best friends? It's because we've been by their side for thousands of years and they're loyal animals. They're also able to sense our emotions so it's very easy to bond with them. But dogs aren't just pets, as I've said before, some of them have jobs as you can hear. For example, there are police dogs that assist officers in multiple functions thanks to their great sense of smell and instinct. Shepherd dogs are capable of guiding a flock thanks to their intelligence and agility. And guide dogs which help people with vision problems move around the city among other things.

Owning a dog is a responsibility and commitment that should never be broken. If you have one, enjoy their company and treat them with kindness. They're a family member, they'll never let you down!