Dog Food

In 1781, an encyclopedia mentioned an earlier practice of removing the liver, heart, and blood of a downed stag and mixing it with milk, cheese, and bread; and then giving it to dogs.

The earliest reference to “dog biscuits” in the Oxford English Dictionary refers to “An advertisement of dog biscuits manufactured by Mr Smith of Maidenhead” in 1823.

The first to market dog biscuits worldwide was James Pratt, an electrical and lightning rod salesman of Ohio around 1860.

One employee at Pratt’s factory in London was Charles Cruft who later founded Cruft’s Dog Show.

An American electrician, James Spratt, concocted the first dog treat. Living in London at the time, he witnessed dogs around a shipyard eating scraps of discarded biscuits. Shortly thereafter he introduced his dog food, made up of wheat meals, vegetables and meat. By 1890 production had begun in the United States and became known as “Spratt's Patent Limited”.

The first tinned dog food in the UK was Chappie, which started in 1934 when US giant Mars took over Chappel Bros Ltd, a small pet food company in Manchester.

In the United States alone, dog owners spent over $8.5 billion on commercially manufactured dog food in 2007.

The world's largest dog biscuit was made by United Petfood on May 9, 2025. It weighed 515.6 kilograms (1,137 pounds) and measured 5.95 meters long by 1.89 meters wide and 4.5 centimeters thick. The biscuit was crafted at their bakery in Coevorden, Netherlands.

February 23rd is observed around the world as International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day.

If the word “with” is used in a dog food's name, it only has to contain at least 3% of that item—so “Dog Food With Beef” is 3% beef.

Dogs are commonly eaten in Asia with around 15 million pooches eaten every year there, or around nearly 4% of the world’s dog population

About 8% of people in China eat dog meat—it's believed to ward off heat in the summer months.

Sources Daily Express, Wikipedia 

Dog Collar (Clergy)

Until the 19th century the clergy dressed much as other men, wearing dark clothes with the white high stock of the country gentleman as neckwear. They would change these stocks for ‘preaching bands’ when necessary (the white tabs worn by some clergy and barristers today.)
As fashion changed, the stock was superseded by the stiff high collar of the Victorian era, known as the all-rounder, which by 1870 had come to be known as a ‘dog collar’.

Source Daily Mail

Dog Collar (Canine)

Spiked dog collars were invented in ancient Greece and were originally designed to protect dog's throats from wolves, coyotes, and other predators.

There is a dog collar museum at Leeds Castle in Kent, England with 130 dog collars in its collection. Dogs are not admitted except guide dogs and hearing dogs.

Dog

DOG RECORDS

The oldest known domesticated breed is the Saluki, a large, athletic hound thought to have emerged in 329 BC.

"Beware of dog" signs have been found in ancient Roman buildings, usually in the form of a mosaic.

Kublai Khan, who established the Yuan Dynasty of China, had the possession of 5,000 Mastiffs - the most dogs ever owned by one person.

New York became the first state to enact a dog-licensing law on March 10, 1894. The new licenses cost two dollars and all dogs were required to be licensed. The purpose of the law was to help control the population of stray dogs and reduce the risk of rabies transmission. Today, dog licensing is still required in most states in the US, although the cost and requirements vary.

There are 339 breeds of dog, according to the World Canine Organisation.

The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound. The smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua. The St. Bernard is the heaviest.

There are over 52.6 million dogs in the US.

The world’s smallest dog was Sylvia, a tiny Yorkshire terrier who died aged two in 1945. She was 2.5 inches tall at the shoulder and 3.5 inch from nose to tail when she passed away. Sylvia was owned by Arthur Marples of Blackburn, England,

The world record holder for tallest dog is a Great Dane called Freddy from Essex in England. He stands at 7ft 6in on his hind legs and weighs 92kg, Freddy has an appetite to match his stature, devouring entire roast chickens in one sitting. He costs his owner Claire Stoneman around £12,500 pounds a year in maintenance and feeding costs.

The heaviest dog on record is an Old English Mastiff from London named Zorba, who was bred by Mrs I Prosser on September 26, 1981. He weighed 343 pounds (156 kg) and measured 8 feet and 3 in. from nose to tail. When the record was set in 1989, Zorba was aged eight.

Bluey, a Cattle Dog from Australia, was born on June 7, 1910. She lived to 29 years and 5 months, becoming the oldest ever dog. Her owner, Les Hall of Rochester, Victoria, finally put Bluey to sleep on November 14, 1939.

On February 2, 2023, Guinness World Records announced Bobi (b. May 11. 1992) as the oldest dog ever. A purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, which is a breed of livestock guardian dog, he  lived his entire life with the Costa family on a farm in the Leiria district of Portugal. Bobi died at home on October 21, 2023, aged 31. After veterinarians became suspicious of his real age, an investigation was pursued and he was stripped of the title.

The newest dog breed is the Bull Boxer, first bred in the United States in 1990-91.

The world record for the highest jump cleared by a dog is 191.7 cm (75.5 in), achieved by Feather, a two year old female greyhound. Owned by Samantha Valle, the greyhound achieved the leap at Frederick, Maryland, USA, on September 14, 2017.

Snuppy, the world's first cloned dog, was born in South Korea in 2005.

The world’s most expensive dog is a Tibetan Mastiff pup sold for £1.2 million in China in 2014.

Konjo, a half Papillon, quarter Jack Russell, quarter Chihuahua from Tusti, California broke the world record for fastest five metres on front paws by a dog with a time of 2.39 seconds. The attempt took place at Tustin Sports Park, Tustin, California, on December 22, 2014.

A song “A Very Silent Night” was recorded at a frequency audible only to dogs in 2007. It was the first single designed to be heard by an animal’s ear rather than human's. Designed as a fund-raising stunt for the country’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, it caught on topping the New Zealand charts in Christmas 2007.

DOG ANATOMY

A dog’s nose is 40 times more sensitive to smells than that of a human, thanks in part to an organ in the roof of its mouth that we don’t have, which allows the canine to ‘taste’ smells.

The nose prints of a dog are as unique as a person’s fingerprints and can be used to positively identify a specific dog.

Using their swiveling ears like radar dishes, experiments have shown that dogs can locate the source of a sound in 6/100ths of a second.

Dogs only sweat from the bottoms of their feet, the only way they can discharge heat is by panting.

Dogs have about 100 different facial expressions, most of them made with the ears.

Dogs have about ten vocal sounds.

There is a dog that can't bark, a basenji, an African wolf dog.

Contrary to popular belief, dogs aren't color blind; they can see shades of blue, yellow, green and gray. The color red registers on a gray scale in a dog's vision.

Most domestic dogs are capable of reaching speeds up to about nineteen miles per hour when running at full speed.

A dog’s normal body temperature is 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

DOG BEHAVIOR

Domestic dogs and elephants are the only animals that seem to instinctively understand that the human gesture of pointing means, "look in the direction my finger is pointing". Other animals, including wolves and other primates, don't understand how it works and will only be interested in your outstretched finger.

An estimated 1 million dogs in the US have been named the primary beneficiary in their owner's will.

In Tokyo, they sell toupees for dogs.

Some stray dogs in Moscow have figured out how to use the subway system in order to travel to more populated areas in search of food.

Dogs have a hidden compass. A 2013 study found they often align their bodies north–south when relieving themselves — but the habit vanishes during geomagnetic disturbances like solar flares.

Dog demonstrating natural north-south alignment behavior while relieving itself outdoors

Dogs will yawn in order to express that there is a conflict of interest between their own ideas or desires and those of their owners.

When dogs lay down and do that funny leg stick-out thing, it's called a sploot.

Research has shown that dogs are capable of understanding and responding to human laughter. For example, a study published in the journal Animal Cognition found that dogs were more likely to play with their owners when the owners laughed compared to when they spoke in a neutral tone.

FUN DOG FACTS

The first year of canine life is equal to 21 years of human life — in other words, the puppy grows to adulthood. Every additional dog year is equivalent to four human years.

In the extinct Australian language Mbabaram, the word for dog is 'dog'. This is purely a coincidence and there is no relation between the words.

Carolina Dog is a dog breed first discovered living wild in the southeast region of the United States. After extensive DNA testing it is believed they are descendants of the first animals to accompany humans across the Bering land bridge thousands of years ago.

"Kukur Tiharm," the second day of a week-long festival in Nepal, is dedicated solely to thanking dogs for their loyalty and friendship.

There is a no-kill animal shelter in Costa Rica called "Territorio de Zaguates", or "Land of Strays". It sits on 378 acres and is home to approximately 1,000 dogs. There, visitors are able to go on scenic hikes with the pooches, even if they have no plans to adopt.

A Colombian drug cartel put a $70,000 bounty on a police dog because it sniffed out almost 10 tons of drugs in over 300 operations, leading to 245 arrests.

International Dog Day is an annual event celebrated on August 26. It was founded in 2004 by pet and family lifestyle expert, animal rescue advocate, conservationist, dog trainer and author, Colleen Paige.

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven is $6,400.

Here is a list of songs about dogs.

Dodo

The origin of the word dodo is unclear. Some say it is from the Dutch ‘dodoor’, meaning ‘sluggard’. Another theory is that it comes from ‘dodaerse’ (knot-bum), referring to a knot of feathers on the dodo’s rear end, or the Portuguese ‘doudo’ (crazy).

The Dodo was first seen by Portuguese sailors in about 1507. They hunted it for food, killing large numbers with clubs. Also Dodo birds kept their nests on the ground because there weren't any predators before. However, Pigs and rats, taken to Mauritius by European settlers, devoured the dodo eggs, which were laid on the ground.

The last dodos in Mauritius were killed by English sailors in 1680. It was among the first animals to become extinct in the modern period.

In 1755, Oxford University burned a taxidermied Dodo bird, unaware that it was the last complete specimen in the world.

Dodos were about a meter tall and weighed around 45lb.

The dodo was just a giant dove, closely related to the family of pigeons and other doves.

Dodos could actually run quite fast and were agile. The popular image of obese, clumsy dodos probably comes from being overfed in captivity.

The Dodo in Alice in Wonderland is based on the author, Charles Dodgson, who had a stammer and would introduce himself as “Do-do-dogson.”

The earliest known use of the phrase ‘dead as a dodo’ was in 1904. 'Extinct as the dodo,' dates back to 1870.

According to a 2010 statistical analysis, there is a three in a million chance dodos are not extinct.

The Dodo appears on the coat of arms of Mauritius.

The closest living relative of the dodo is thought to be the Nicobar pigeon of the Malay archipelago.

Sources Daily Express,  Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc.

Dodge

The Dodge Brothers Company was created by brothers Horace and John Dodge in 1900.

John (1864-1920) and Horace (1868-1920) Dodge began as bicycle manufacturers in Ontario, Canada, before moving to Detroit in 1901 to open a machine shop for the manufacture of automobile parts.

In 1914 the Dodge brothers expanded to make their own automobiles.

1915 Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 touring car. Wikipedia Commons

The Dodge Brothers vehicles won acclaim for durability while in service with the U.S. Army's Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico.

Their innovations included the use of conveyor belts in manufacturing, and an all-steel body construction.

The Dodge Brothers sued Henry Ford in 1919 on the grounds that a company should act in the interests of its shareholders and not for the good of society, its customers or its employees

Dodge Brothers cars continued to rank second place in American sales in 1920, however both brothers died suddenly that year.

Dodge Brothers Inc was sold to Dillon, Read & Co. on April 30, 1925 for US$146 million plus $50 million for charity. The $50 was reportedly earmarked for various causes, including medical research, education, and public health.

After the sale to Dillon, Read & Co., Dodge Brothers continued to operate as a separate entity for several years, producing automobiles and other products. However, in 1928, the company was acquired by the Chrysler Corporation, which was looking to expand its product line and market share.

There were 321 ‘General Lee’ orange Dodge Charger cars used during filming of the eighties TV show The Dukes Of Hazzard. Almost all were wrecked in the show’s stunts but one that survived was bought by American golfer Bubba Watson at an auction for US$110,000 (US$121,000 after buyer premium).

Ken Dodd

English comedian Ken Dodd was born on November 8, 1927 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.

He was the second of three children of a coal merchant, Arthur Dodd, and wife Sarah (née Gray).

Dodd with his "tickling sticks"

Ken Dodd was an accomplished ventriloquist. His first 'dummy pal' was called Charlie Brown.

In 1965 Ken Dodd topped the UK singles charts for five weeks with his version of the 1930s ballad “Tears.” It was the biggest hit in UK in 1965, selling 1,521,000 copies. There was a certain irony that the best selling record of the year was not by The Beatles but still by a Liverpudlian.

In 1967 Ken Dodd set a world record for the longest joke-telling session, telling 1,500 jokes in three and a half hours.

In 1989, during a trial for tax evasion — for which he was acquitted —  Ken Dodd admitted to keeping £ 336,000 in his attic, describing it as ‘a nest egg’.

Ken Dodd kept a ‘giggle map’ of Britain to record which jokes go down best in which parts of the country.

He once played a record-breaking of 42 sold-out weeks at the London Palladium.

Ken Dodd lived in his childhood home in Knotty Ash, Liverpool all his life.

Dodd married his partner of 40 years, Anne Jones, on March 9, 2018 at their home in Knotty Ash, after being released from hospital following six weeks of treatment for a chest infection.. He died two days later on March 11, 2018.

Source Wirral Globe