Tank. Rosie.

Rosie is 7 years old. She is a mixture of breeds including Collie and Staffordshire bull terrier. We got her from a rescue centre as a puppy—her mother had been found abandoned and pregnant. She is obsessed with chasing balls.

Tank is 5 years old. His breed has been the subject of many a great debate over the years - the most popular suggestions being Bearded Collie cross or Briard cross. Tank also came from a rescue centre. He loves to be the centre of attention and he likes to hang onto Rosie’s tail when she is chasing balls.

  • Dogs were one of the first animals domesticated by humans, 10,000 years ago.
  • There are over 200 different breeds of dogs.
  • Canis Familiaris is the Latin name for dog.
  • The largest dogs among all breeds, at least in terms of height, is the Irish Wolfhound.
  • Greyhounds are no doubt fast. In fact, they can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour for short amounts of time.
  • Have you ever seen a dog curled up with his tail covering his nose? They do that to keep the nose warm in cold weather.
  • Laikia, a dog, was the world's first ever space astronaut. She was sent into space in an artificial earth satellite in 1957 by the Russian government.
  • That whole one year in a dog's life is the equivalent of 7 in a human's isn't exactly true. A more accurate calculation is as follows: At one year, a dog is the equivalent of 16 human years; at two dog years they are 24 human years; at 3 dog years, 30 human years; and for every dog year after that, add 4 human years.
  • The oldest known dog lived to be 29.
  • Most people think that dogs sweat by salivating, but they actually sweat through the pads of their feet.
  • Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not colour blind but can, in fact, see colour. However, their colour scheme is not as vivid as ours and can be likened to our vision at twilight.
  • Dogs have a sense of smell that is one of the keenest in nature. Humans might smell a pot of stew cooking on the stove, but a dog can distinguish the smells of each individual ingredient, from the beef itself to the potatoes.