We all know the phrase “the dog days of summer.”
But in my mind, every day is dog day.
I love my dogs. Always have. Always will.
I’ve been lucky, as all my canine pals have brought such joy to my life. I feel as if I could never repay them for all their kindness and goodwill.
So while I’m thinking of dogs, I might as well share a few facts about this lovely species. For instance. The largest dog breed in the world is the English Mastiff. They stand between 27-35 inches tall and weigh around 200-230 pounds. But that is on the outside. I might argue that my Lou is the biggest dog in the world, even though he weighs in at just under eight pounds.
But really, they are all related. Every dog can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis. They dwelled in trees and dens, they did. And those Miacis eventually evolved into the genus Canis, which includes the wolf and, eventually, the dog. My Lou. The wolf.
For a long time, though, people have thought highly of their dogs. Take a look at the ancient Orient. Pekingese and Japanese Chins were so important in the Far East that those dogs had their own servants. Yep. They were the dogs of kings and emperors. Pekingese were even worshipped in the temples of China for centuries. Our Ollie is part Pekingese and part Jack Russell Terrier. She has no traces of this royal behavior in her blood. Nadda. Zip.
I’m not sure how they figured this one out, but the most dogs ever owned by one person were 5,000 Mastiffs owned by Kubla Khan. He was the first Mongolian to rule over China in 1279. I hear he wasn’t very nice to his Chinese subjects. I can’t say how he treated all those dogs.
I wonder if he named all of them?
Oh, we do name our dogs. The most popular male dog names are Max and Jake. The most popular female dog names are Maggie and Molly. So there’s that.
Finally, we need to train our dogs somewhat. But what about laws that rule our dogs? One such law, in Paulding, Ohio, allows police offers to bite a dog to quiet it. On the other side of the country, in Ventura County, California, cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit. I’m not sure where they go to register for this.
So far, I’ve had the pleasure of living with six dogs. Well, make that 19 if you count Frances’ puppies. I wouldn’t trade a minute of that time, and I hope for many, many more.
Dogs are good people.
And I love them.
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“The dog is the god of frolic.” – Henry Ward Beecher
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“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” – Samuel Butler
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“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” – Samuel Butler
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