Dogs have many different roles when interacting with humans.
They have been used for herding, hunting, guarding, fishing, pulling loads, sledding, assistance for the blind and deaf, racing, and just general companionship.
In fact, the dog is the most versatile of all domesticated animals.
Here are some facts about dogs that maybe you didn't know.
Only 1 per 4 million dogs will kill a human.
Boys ages 5 to 9 are almost 5 times more likely to get bitten than the general population.
Dogs cause 88% of falls caused by pets in the United States.
They have been known to recognize their owners from over 1 mile away.
They have a reflective surface behind the retina that reflects light back to the photoreceptors to give them a second chance to see images.
More than 18 muscles can rotate or tilt the ear which allows them to locate the source of sound very quickly.
They can hear more than 4 times as far as humans.
They can smell concentrations more than 100 million times lower than humans.
Their wet nose is critical for determining the direction of the wind to help find the source of the smell.
The longest verified record of a dog's life is 24 years.
The sad part is that every year 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters - 50% of them never come out alive.
Sexual maturity beings around 6 to 12 months in dogs, so be sure to get them neutered or spayed as soon as possible.