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The Dogs Portal

The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of wolves. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. Dogs and the modern gray wolf share a common ancestor. Dogs were the first species to be domesticated over 14,000 years ago, before the development of agriculture, though genetic studies suggest the domestication process may have begun over 25,000 years ago. Due to their long association with humans, dogs have gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.

Dogs have been bred for desired behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes. Dog breeds vary widely in shape, size, and color. They have the same number of bones (with the exception of the tail), powerful jaws that house around 42 teeth, and well-developed senses of smell, hearing, and sight. Compared to humans, dogs possess a superior sense of smell and hearing, but inferior visual acuity. Dogs perform many roles for humans, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, companionship, therapy, aiding disabled people, and assisting police and the military.

Communication in dogs includes eye gaze, facial expression, vocalization, body posture (including movements of bodies and limbs), and chemical communication (scents, pheromones, and taste). They mark their territories by urinating on them, which is more likely when entering a new environment. Over the millennia, dogs have uniquely adapted to human behavior; this adaptation includes being able to understand and communicate with humans. As such, the human–canine bond has been a topic of frequent study, and dogs’ influence on human society has given them the sobriquet of “man’s best friend“. (Full article…)

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The Small Međimurje Dog, also known as Međi, or locally well known as Štakoraš (“Ratter”), is a breed of dog native to Croatia. It has been bred for over a hundred years in northwestern Croatia, in Međimurje area mostly. It is found in rural yards as a guard dog and hunter for harmful rodents. The breed is currently recognized by national kennel clubs of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Netherlands, Finland, and the Czech Republic. The breed is currently not recognized by the FCI. The unofficial FCI classification of the breed is FCI Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs) Section 1 / Sheepdogs, without working trial. (Full article…)

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A yellow Labrador Retriever correctly negotiating weave poles at a dog agility competition. Similar to a slalom, weave poles are a series of upright poles, each about 3 feet (1 m) tall and spaced about 20 inches (50 cm) apart, through which the dog weaves. It is one of the most difficult obstacles for a dog to master. It varies from 5 to 12 poles at one time. The dog must always enter with the first pole to his left and must not skip poles.

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Bluey is an Australian animated television series aimed at preschool children, created by Joe Brumm and produced by Ludo Studio in Queensland. It was commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the British Broadcasting Corporation, with BBC Studios holding global distribution and merchandising rights. Bluey premiered on ABC Kids on 1 October 2018. It subsequently made its international debut on Disney Junior in the United States and is available for streaming on Disney+.

The show follows Bluey, an anthropomorphic six-year-old (later seven-year-old) Blue Heeler puppy who is full of energy, imagination, and curiosity about the world. She lives with her father, Bandit; mother, Chilli; and younger sister, Bingo, who regularly joins Bluey on adventures as the pair embark on imaginative play together. Other characters featured each represent a different dog breed. Overarching themes include family life, growing up, and Australian culture. Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, inspired the show’s setting. (Full article…)

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The following are images from various dog-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 2Watercolor tracing made by archaeologist Henri Breuil from a cave painting of a wolf-like canid, Font-de-Gaume, France, dated 19,000 years ago (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 3External anatomy (topography) of a typical dog: 1. Head 2. Muzzle 3. Dewlap (throat, neck skin) 4. Shoulder 5. Elbow 6. Forefeet 7. Croup (rump) 8. Leg (thigh and hip) 9. Hock 10. Hind feet 11. Withers 12. Stifle 13. Paws 14. Tail (from Dog anatomy)
Image 4Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 5A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 6Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 7The difference in overall body size between a Cane Corso (Italian mastiff) and a Yorkshire terrier is over 30-fold, yet both are members of the same species. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 8Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 9An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 10Boxer and Labrador Mix (from Dog breed)
Image 11The Greenland dog carries 3.5% genetic material inherited from a 35,000-year-old wolf from the Taymyr Peninsula, Arctic Siberia. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 12An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 13President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 14Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 15A dog’s teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 16Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 17The dog’s retina shows the optic disc and the eye’s vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 18Schematic anatomy of the ear. In dogs, the ear canal has a “L” shape, with the vertical canal (first half) and the horizontal canal (deeper half, ending with the eardrum) (from Dog anatomy)
Image 19Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)
Image 20A dog’s whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 21A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 22Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 23Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 24A drawing by Konrad Lorenz showing facial expressions of a dog – a communication behavior. X-axis is aggression, y-axis is fear. (from Dog behavior)
Image 25Map depicting possible phylogeographic origins of dingoes, New Guinea singing dogs, and Island Southeast Asian and Oceanian dogs, based on recent genetic evidence (Fillios & Taçon, 2016) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 26Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 27Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 28Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 29Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 30German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 31Mandible of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog from the oldest dog-human co-burial dated 14,200 years old (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 32Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 33A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together (from Puppy)
Image 34Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 35Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)
Image 36Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 37St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 38Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 39Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 40Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 41Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 42Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 43The dog diverged from a now-extinct population of wolves 27,000–40,000 years ago, before or during the Last Glacial Maximum, when much of the mammoth steppe was cold and dry. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 44Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 45Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 46Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 47NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 48Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 49Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 50Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 51Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 52The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 53Skeleton of a dog:1. Cranium 2. Maxilla 3. Mandible 4. Atlas 5. Axis 6. Scapula 7. Spine of scapula 8. Humerus 9. Radius 10. Ulna 11. Phalanges 12. Metacarpal bones 13. Carpal bones 14. Sternum 15. Cartilaginous part of the rib 16. Ribs 17. Phalanges 18. Metatarsal bones 19. Tarsal Bones 20. Calcaneus 21. Fibula 22. Tibia 23. Patella 24. Femur 25. Ischium 26. Pelvis (from Dog anatomy)
Image 54Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 55A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 56Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 57“Five different types of dogs”, c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 58Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 59Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 60West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 61A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 62The difference in body size between a Cane Corso (Italian mastiff) and a Yorkshire Terrier is over 30-fold; both are members of the same species. (from Dog anatomy)

Did you know (auto-generated) – show different entries

… that Mohammad Bhar, a Palestinian man with Down syndrome and autism, died following a dog attack in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war?
… that the theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm, a former ringtone of Steven Spielberg, has been used as the backing to a Snoop Dogg song?
… that the Greyster is a type of sled dog favored especially for dryland racing like canicross and bikejoring?
… that when Wilson Starbuck's play Sea Dogs was staged in 1939 it “contained some of the foulest language heard on Broadway” at that point in history?
… that beavers, mules, and dogs have been parachuted from airplanes?
… that Ethan Hawke and Devery Jacobs smoked CBD while filming the Reservation Dogs episode “Elora’s Dad“?

More did you know… – show different entries

…that Laurence Mancuso was the founding abbot of the Eastern Orthodox monastic community of New Skete (pictured), which is known for its dog training?
…that “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” is the most reproduced cartoon from The New Yorker magazine, and its title a phrase still used around the world?
…that the famous quote “No man who hates dogs and children can be all bad” generally attributed to Leo Rosten was actually first used in 1930 by future war correspondent Byron Darnton?
…that the expressions ‘top dog‘ and ‘underdog‘ may originate with the two sawyers in a saw pit?