10 Unusual and Weird Facts About Dogs in History
Dogs have been an important part of human history for Centuries. They have been used for everything from hunting to protection to companionship. But while we know a lot about dogs today, there are still some weird and unusual facts about them that remain unknown to most people. In this blog post, we will explore 10 of the strangest dog facts in history!
Did you know around 900 million dogs exist globally? This number indicates the depth to which these creatures have become a part of society. Man cannot ignore their presence – the past depicts this reality.
Ten weird facts about dogs in history:
Let’s take a look at history and see some of the more unusal facts about dogs. I am not talking about things that are common knowledge like the first dog to go into space was Laika, a stray from Moscow who became famous for her courageously volunteering herself as part of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik II mission in November 1957 or that dogs were used as guides for blind people since at least World War I when they helped soldiers navigate battlefields and no man’s lands without sight.
War Dogs
1) Man-made wars have often included dogs. During the middle ages, Great Danes and Mastiffs were suited up with armor. Why? They had been trained to defend supply caravans.
While we typically think of dogs as being loyal and friendly creatures, did you know that in ancient Rome, they were often used as guard dogs? In fact, the Roman army even had special units of soldiers whose job it was to train these dogs for use on the battlefield!
Royal Treatment
2) Ancient Far Easterners revered Japanese Chins. In general, they received royal treatment. After being given as gifts to kings and emperors, Japanese Chins were assigned human servants. These dogs slept in silk-lined baskets and ate from gold bowls.
How did that compare to their human servants? Those servants usually slept on the floor, and their bowls were made of clay.
Rain
3) Have you ever heard of the phrase “raining cats and dogs”? It originated in seventeenth-century England. Homeless animals would float down the streets during heavy rains as though the clouds had given the appearance it had rained cats and dogs.
Were they alive? There is no evidence that these animals were alive at the time. They may have been swept up from a previous rainstorm and deposited into another one by floodwaters rushing through towns and villages during heavy rains.
Werewolf Origins
4) Folklore about werewolves began after the fall of Rome. Human survival proceeded the care of any pets at that time as many people migrated into northern Europe or simply tried to manage after their communities fell apart.
For this reason, untrained dogs and those military-trained abandoned dogs traveling in packs terrorized villagers; their images were distorted into mythical beings. There was also the belief that humans could turn into wolves after being cursed by witches.
Dirty Dogs
5) In Iran, dogs are believed to be “najes”, the religious equivalent of unclean or dirty. Because of these beliefs, strict laws exist about dog ownership; ownership of these animals is acceptable only for hunting and guarding.
Outside of these parameters, dog owners would be arrested by authorities and put into jail. What would happen to the dogs? Sadly, they would likely be killed.
Digging It Up
6) Mbaya Indians, a tribe formerly residing on both sides of the Paraguay River, thought humans originally lived underground. How did they rise to the surface? Dogs dug them up. Supposedly, the first dog was rewarded with a place in the sun and from then on, dogs have been man’s best friend.
Dogs often appear in the history and culture of Native Americans. For example, in many tribes, dogs are considered to be the messengers between the living and spirit worlds.
No Cross Breeding Allowed
7) During the Middle Ages, laws prevented the breeding of dogs owned by peasants and noblemen. To differentiate between the two, peasants’ dogs wore blocks around their necks for easy identification. Why did they not want them to associate? Peasants owned their dogs to guard property and hunt, while noblemen’s dogs were smaller in size and bred for companionship.
The legislation did not stop there; peasant dogs who mated with a nobleman’s dog would be punished by death!
French Poodles
8) Surprise? French Poodles originated from Germany, not France. “Poodle” is German for “pudehlhund” meaning splashing dog. Scholars speculate that the puffs associated with French Poodles were created by hunters.
Hunters shaved down French Poodles in order for them to swim more efficiently and left pom-poms around the joints to keep them warm. That trend of grooming seems to have stuck for centuries and is still used today.
Their Own City
9) Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia from 336 to 323 B.C., adored his dog so much that he named a city – Peritas – after this animal. The city still stands in modern-day Turkey. Peritas was a huge part of Alexander’s life and even went into battle with him.
Self Trained
10) Historians state dogs self-domesticated themselves 12,000 years ago. Wolves became friendly with humans after being attracted to their sites. How did this happen? Simply from the garbage humans left behind.
Wolves gradually stopped raiding campsites and instead hung around them, begging for food scraps. As a result, these animals evolved into the dogs we know today. Talk about positive reinforcement!
10 Unusual and Weird Facts About Dogs in History
The above ten weird facts about dogs in history show that truth is stranger than fiction. These four-legged animals took a long journey towards their current place in society. Despite the weirdness and strangeness of their history, they have remained man’s best friend.
It is hard to look at any of those today and see them as a viable event today, but it seems like each of those would be a fun outline for an adventure story of some sort.
Do you have any weird facts about dogs that we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to share this blog post with your friends and family! They’re sure to find it interesting!
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
