Fun Facts About Pets - 29th September 2011

Pet lovers are guardians to nearly 100 million dogs and cats in the United States, and spend about $35 billion on their furry friends each year. (Source: American Pet Product Manufacturers Association)

Studies show that people with pets live longer, have less stress, and fewer health problems. (Source: American Pet Product Manufacturers Association)

94% of pet owners say their animal pal makes them smile more than once a day. (Source: i-pets.com)

There are more than 9,000 species of birds. Parakeets, canaries, finches, and parrots are the most popular to keep as pets. (Source: Mississippi 4-H Pet Care Project)

In Australia, England, and the U.S., Max wins as the most popular name for pooches. Other popular dog names in the U.S. are Jake, Buddy, Maggie, Molly, and Bear. (Source: Bowwow.com.au)

95% of cat owners admit they talk to their cats. (Source: i-pets.com)

In Belgium in 1879, 37 cats were �hired� to carry bundles of letters to villages. But the service didn�t last long because the mail cats just wouldn�t cooperate! (Source: Best Friends Pet Care)

A cat will almost never meow at another cat�that�s because cats only meow to get our attention. (Source: i-pets.com)

A dog named Laikia became the world's first astronaut in 1957, when she was sent into space by the Russian government. (Source: Best Friends Pet Care)

Abraham Lincoln loved cats! In fact, he had four of them while he lived in the White House. His favorite was named Tabby. (Source: i-pets.com)

Tests done by the University of Michigan proved that cats have better memories than dogs. The study shows that while a dog�s memory lasts no more than 5 minutes, a cat's can last as long as 16 hours�and that�s more than even monkeys and orangutans!

Dogs can hear sounds that are too faint for us to hear. In fact, their hearing is so good they probably rely more on sound than sight. But the common belief that dogs are color blind is false. Dogs can see color, just not as well as we do. They can tell the difference between blue, yellow, and gray, but probably don�t see red and green. (Source: i-pets.com)

The Healing Powers of Pets



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January 8, 2008, 10:39 am The Healing Power of Dogs
By TARA PARKER-POPE

Dogs may play a larger role in health than realized. (Andrea Mohin/The New York Times)Dogs have long had special standing in the medical world. Trained to see for the blind, hear for the deaf and move for the immobilized, dogs have become indispensable companions for people with disabilities.

But dogs appear to be far more than four-legged health care workers. Over the years, data on the larger role dogs play in health has trickled out from various corners of the world. One Japanese study found pet owners made 30 percent fewer visits to doctors. A Melbourne study of 6,000 people showed that owners of dogs and other pets had lower cholesterol, blood pressure and heart attack risk compared with people who didn’t have pets. Obviously, the better health of pet owners could be explained by a variety of factors, but many experts believe companion animals improve health at least in part by lowering stress.

Dogs, in particular, also have been shown to do remarkable things to improve the health of their owners. There are stories of dogs warning their owners of imminent health threats. In 2003, University of Florida researchers published a report in the journal Seizure noting that some dogs seem to have an innate ability to detect impending seizures. A 2000 report in the British Medical Journal examined case studies of dogs alerting people with diabetes of a coming hypoglycemic episode.
More recently, some studies have suggested dogs can be cancer detectors. In 2006, the medical journal Integrative Cancer Therapies reported how ordinary house dogs could identify breast and lung cancer patients by smelling their breath. A University of Maine study is testing whether dogs can sniff out ovarian cancer.

The role dogs play in medicine is celebrated in a new book, “Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs’’ (Alyson Books, 2007), which chronicles the numerous ways dogs contribute to our health. Author Sharon Sakson is a journalist and television producer, dog breeder and American Kennel Club dog-show judge. She admits to being biased about her subject matter, and she tends to write about the mundane details of dogs and their owners. Much of the evidence surrounding dogs and health is anecdotal, although Ms. Sakson includes many references to published research. The stories of service dogs are particularly impressive, as is the nascent research into dogs’ ability to detect cancer.

Ms. Sakson said she first began thinking about the link between dogs and health while reporting an earlier book on men and dogs. A few men she interviewed who had AIDS credited their dogs with playing a role in their improved health.

While Ms. Sakson says more studies are needed to show exactly what role dogs play in health, any dog owner already knows the benefits of their relationship with their pet.

“I went into it because I loved my dogs — they can do so much for our society,” said Ms. Sakson. “There’s no question they give us emotional support.”

A few Jokes

My new dog is very obedient. When I say 'heel' he always bites me on the heel.

Submitted by : Shirley



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A man went into a pet shop and asked the assistant if they had any dogs going cheap?
He replied, "Sorry sir all ours go woof."




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My pet dog is a doberman pincher. All day he goes around pinching dobermans.




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Would you like to play with my new dog?
He looks very fierce. Does he bite?
That's what I want to find out.




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"Say have you seen my new dog?"
"Spitz?"
"No, but he drools a little."




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Where do you take your dog if it loses its tail?
A re-tail store.




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Where does Quasimodo keep his pet rabbit?
In a hutch, back of Notre Dame.




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A man takes his Rottweiler to the vet. "My dog's cross eyed. Is there anything you can do for him?"
"Well," says the vet, "let's have a look at him" So he picks the dog up and examines his eyes, then checks his teeth.
Finally, he says "I'm going to have to put him down."
"What? Because he's cross-eyed?"
"No, because he's really heavy"




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A man at an auction sale started bidding for a parrot. The bidding went higher and higher, but finally the man bought the bird. Then he realised that he didn't even know if it could talk, so he asked the auctioneer.
"Of course it can talk," he replied. "Who do you think was bidding against you?"




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Ever notice that when the doorbell rings, the dog's the first one to the door, but it's never for him?

haha they are all good!! im a dog person...id have lots ov dogs if its wasnt for my OH.

I have had cats and dogs but my preference would be doggies x

Interesting facts, I have cats and dogs, love them all xx

I am a cat person!!! Interesting facts though - thankyou! Oh and jokes were ok too xx