Difference between revisions of "Dog"
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== Bites == | == Bites == | ||
| − | [[Image:Dog - Jay Paul - The New York Times.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Dog in | + | [[Image:Dog - Jay Paul - The New York Times.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Dog in a kennel with the animal said to be on hold due to court case]] |
Despite being colloquially known as "man's best friend", every 40 seconds, someone in the [[United States of America|United States]] seeks medical help for a dog bite, with approximately 800,000 such bites per year requiring medical attention.<ref>http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html</ref> | Despite being colloquially known as "man's best friend", every 40 seconds, someone in the [[United States of America|United States]] seeks medical help for a dog bite, with approximately 800,000 such bites per year requiring medical attention.<ref>http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html</ref> | ||
Due to the high cost of dog bite liability claims, some [[insurance]] companies have blacklisted certain breeds and refuse to provide homeowners insurance to those who own these dog breeds. <ref>http://www.dogbitelegalcenter.com/resources/common-dogs.html</ref> | Due to the high cost of dog bite liability claims, some [[insurance]] companies have blacklisted certain breeds and refuse to provide homeowners insurance to those who own these dog breeds. <ref>http://www.dogbitelegalcenter.com/resources/common-dogs.html</ref> | ||
Revision as of 01:18, December 26, 2007
| Dog | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Class Information | |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order Information | |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Sub-order | Caniformia |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Canidae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Canis |
| Species Information | |
| Species | lupus |
| Subspecies | C. l. familiaris (Domesticated dog) |
| Population statistics | |
Dogs are one of the most well-known domesticated species, with archaeological and historical records showing that they have lived in a mutually beneficial relationship with humans for thousands of years.
Male dogs are referred to as a dog, while a female is called a bitch. Offspring are called pups (or puppies) until around a year old. The collective noun for a group of offspring is litter.
Research has shown that it is probable that the first settlers respectively of the Americas and Australia brought dogs of some sort with them.
Scientific details
Dogs (scientific name Canis lupus familiaris) are a subspecies of wolves, divided into a multitude of different breeds all in principle capable of interbreeding (though in some cases, physical relations between representatives of two breeds are unlikely or problematic - Chihuahuas and Great Danes, for example).
There have been fossils of wolf bones with humans dated 100,000 BC.[1] and based on DNA evidence, the dog species species diverged from wolves about 100,000BC as well. [2] [3] Archaeology has placed the earliest known domestication at potentially 12,000 BC-10,000 BC and with certainty at 7,000 BC. [4] However, we know this evidence is false because the bible only goes back 6000 years.
Dogs are also viewed as being the single most genetically diverse species on Earth - largely thanks to human-imposed selective breeding, the vast array of dog breeds surpasses any other any other creature on the planet.
Bites
Despite being colloquially known as "man's best friend", every 40 seconds, someone in the United States seeks medical help for a dog bite, with approximately 800,000 such bites per year requiring medical attention.[5] Due to the high cost of dog bite liability claims, some insurance companies have blacklisted certain breeds and refuse to provide homeowners insurance to those who own these dog breeds. [6]
Uses
Dogs are used for many purposes:
- Guarding property and livestock.
- Herding sheep and cattle.
- Tracking by scent, carrying messages, and mountain rescue.
- Pursuing, flushing and retrieving game, and killing vermin.
- Providing assistance to blind and deaf people.
- Military and police duties including guarding, tracking and attacking. In World War II, the Soviet Union attempted to train dogs to place explosive charges under German tanks.
- To detect illegal drugs (German Shepherds are commonly trained to do so by police)
- As a beast of burden, or for drawing sledges and dogcarts.
- As a performing animal. Circus dogs have been trained to dance, ride bicycles and walk the tightrope.
- For fighting, now illegal in most places.
- As food. Dog is still considered a delicacy in China, Korea and parts of Africa today.
Today most dogs in western countries are kept for companionship only. Stray and feral dogs cause many problems, spreading diseases such as rabies, and attacking people and livestock.
Further reading
References
- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s513072.htm
- ↑ Vila, Carles; Carles Vila, Peter Savolainen, Jesus E. Maldonado, Isabel R. Amorim, John E. Rice, Rodney L. Honeycutt, Keith A. Crandall, Joakim Lundeberg, Wayne, Robert F. (1997-01-30; accepted 1997-04-14). "Multiple and ancient origins of the domestic dog" (http://www.mnh.si.edu/GeneticsLab/StaffPage/MaldonadoJ/PublicationsCV/Science_Dog_Paper.pdf). Science 276: 1687-1689. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
- ↑ Kerstin, Lindblad-Toh; Claire M Wade, Tarjei S. Mikkelsen, Elinor K. Karlsson, David B. Jaffe, Michael Kamal, Michele Clamp, Jean L. Chang, Edward J. Kulbokas III, Michael C. Zody, Evan Mauceli, Xiaohui Xie, Matthew Breen, Robert K. Wayne, Elaine A. Ostrander, Chris P. Ponting, Francis Galibert, Douglas R. Smith, Pieter J. deJong, Ewen Kirkness, Pablo Alvarez, Tara Biagi, William Brockman, Jonathan Butler, Chee-Wye Chin, April Cook, James Cuff, Mark J. Daly, David DeCaprio, Sante Gnerre, Manfred Grabherr, Manolis Kellis, Michael Kleber, Carolyne Bardeleben, Leo Goodstadt, Andreas Heger, Christophe Hitte, Lisa Kim, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Heidi G. Parker, John P. Pollinger, Stephen M. J. Searle, Nathan B. Sutter, Rachael Thomas, Caleb Webber (2005-12-08). "Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog". Nature 438: 803-819. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7069/abs/nature04338.html
- ↑ Scott, John Paul (1965). Dog behavior;: The genetic basis. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-74338-1.
- ↑ http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html
- ↑ http://www.dogbitelegalcenter.com/resources/common-dogs.html
