Puppy

HISTORY

In ancient Rome, auburn-haired puppies were sacrificed to ensure a plentiful corn crop.

Puppy training manuals date as far back as 127-116 B.C., when Roman farmer Marcus Varro recorded advice on raising and training puppies for herding livestock.

In the United Kingdom a tax was levied upon working dogs with tails, so many puppies had their tails docked to avoid this tax. The tax was repealed in 1796 but that did not stop the practice from persisting.

The largest litter ever recorded of surviving puppies was on June 19, 1944, in Ambler, Pennsylvania, when an American Foxhound gave birth to 23 healthy pups.

The Guinness world record for the most puppies ever delivered in one litter belongs to Tia, a Neapolitan mastiff living in England. On November 24, 2009, she gave birth to 24 puppies. The pups were delivered by Cesarean section, but one was stillborn and three others died in the first week. Tia was owned by Damian Ward and Anne Kellegher of Manea, Cambridgeshire.

ETYMOLOGY

The word puppy has been used for a small or young dog since the 15th century.

It has been used for a young seal or shark since the late 19th century, while pup has been extended to young giraffes, guinea pigs and rats.

The earliest known use of the phrase “puppy love” for a brief romantic attachment between young people was in 1823.

Officially, a puppy is a puppy until it has reached one year old.

FUN FACTS

National Puppy Day is celebrated on March 23rd in the US to raise awareness about the importance of adopting puppies and to celebrate the unconditional love and joy that they bring into our lives. The exact reason why March 23rd was chosen as National Puppy Day is unclear, but it is believed to be a day that was chosen by the founder of National Puppy Day, Colleen Paige, as a way to honor her own puppy, who was born on March 23rd. 

Every hour, about 12,500 puppies are born in the U.S.

A puppy does not open its eyes until about 10 days after birth.

A puppy attains half its adult weight at about 14 weeks of age, or five months for large breeds.

When playing with female puppies, male puppies will often let them win, even if they have a physical advantage.

By Heather - originally posted to Flickr as Puppies Wrestling,

Professional animal trainers and the American Kennel Club advise puppies should be introduced to "100 People by 12 Weeks" and have encountered a wide and varied selection of people and environments.

17-year-old refugee Aslan Al Hakim refused to leave his puppy, Rose, in Syria and carried her more than 300 miles to safety in Greece.

Source Daily Express