Beagle

We just learned about the type of dog the Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog.

Another type of dog is the beagle.

Beagles are smaller dogs that are very good at smelling things, and have been used as hunting dogs for a long time.
They are also used sometimes as detectives to find when people are hiding things.

Snoopy is the world's most famous beagle!


(from: wikipedia - beagle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Colossal Squid

Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog

We just learned about the type of dog the Rottweiler.

Another type of dog is the Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog.

The Pyrenees is a big white dog who was used as a shepherd in the mountains of France and Spain.
Even though it's a really big dog, this type of dog is really great with small kids because it is a good protector.


(from: wikipedia - great pyrenees)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blue Tang

Rottweiler

We just learned about the type of dog the Pomeranian

Another type of dog is the rottweiler.

This type of dog has been around for a long time, and was used to herd livestock, pull carts, and be a guard dog.

Now they are used as search and rescue dogs, guide dogs for blind people, guard dogs and police dogs.

Rottweiler's are always black with brown feet, a brown belly, brown mouth, and little brown dots on their eyebrows.


(from: wikipedia - rottweiler)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kakapo

Pomeranian

We just learned about the type of dog the Dalmatian.

Another type of dog is the Pomeranian, also known sometimes as a Pom Pom, or just Pom.

These dogs are very small, can get excited easily and are known to bark a lot, so they can sometimes make good watch dogs.
They are very friendly, and love to be the center of attention.

Queen Victoria of England had a pet Pomeranian dog, which made the dog very popular.

(from: wikipedia - pomeranian (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Clownfish

Dalmatian

We just learned about the type of dog the Rough Collie.

Another type of dog is the dalmatian.

Dalmatians are white dogs with black spots. Puppy dalmatians are born all white, and the spots show up a few weeks after they are born.
Some dalmatians have brown or grey-blue spots.

They have a long history of being dogs for fire stations, because in the old days fire engines were pulled by horses.
Dalmatians get along very well with horses, so they could run in front of the engine barking for everyone to clear the way without being scared.
Also they are very good guard dogs, so they helped keep the fire station safe.

(from: wikipedia - dalmatian (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Starfish

Rough Collie

We just learned about the type of dog the cocker spaniel.

Another type of dog is the Rough Collie.
There are about 20 different types of collies, but usually when people just say collie they are talking about the rough collie.
It is sometimes called the Long Haired Collie too.

Collies have been used for a long time as herding dogs, mostly for sheep.

There were old books, movies and TV shows about a loyal family dog named Lassie.
The dog from the movie whose real name was Pal was so famous that they had a star with their name on it put on a famous sidewalk called the Hollywood walk of fame.

(from: wikipedia - rough collie)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Koala

Cocker Spaniel

We just learned about the type of dog the Boxer.

Another type of dog is the Cocker Spaniel.
They got their name because they were good at hunting a type of bird called the woodcock.

In the movie Lady and the Tramp, the dog Lady is a cocker spaniel.


(from: wikipedia - cocker spaniel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Firefly

Boxer

We just learned about the type of dog the Scottish Terrier

Another type of dog is the boxer.

This dog is very smart, hard working and friendly, and is also very protective of it's family.

No one really knows for sure why the dog is called a boxer.
Some people think it's because the dog stands up and boxes using it's feet,
some think it's from the old German name Baxer, or the German word Boxl which means underpants.

(from: wikipedia - boxer (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butterfly - Imago

Scottish Terrier

We just learned about the type of dog the German Shepherd.

Another type of dog is the Scottish Terrier, sometimes just called the Scottie.

The Scottie is a small dog with lots of energy and makes a great guard dog for homes.
It has perky ears and a pointy tail, and has long hair.

A bunch of US Presidents have owned Scottie dogs, and president FDR's dog Fala was always with him, so they even made a statue of Fala with a statue of the president.

In the board game monopoly, the playing piece that is a dog is a Scottie.


(from: wikipedia - scottish terrier)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butterfly Pupa

German Shepherd

We just learned about the type of dog the Bulldog.

Another type of dog is a German Shepherd.

This type of dog is used a lot as a working dog, because it is very smart, very hard working, and really wants to have a job so that it feels like it is doing something good.

German Shepherds have been used by the police to fight criminals, to use their sense of smell to find things that people are trying to hide, and even to sniff out hidden bombs.
They work for the military to deliver messages, to be a guard dog, to scout for danger and even jump from parachutes.
They work to rescue people in trouble, and they are also sometimes leader dogs for blind people.


(from: wikipedia - german shepherd)

A dog that is working as a police officer is called a K-9 unit, because the word canine means dog.


(from: wikipedia - police dog)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butterfly Larvae

Bulldog

We just learned about the type of dog the poodle

Another type of dog is the bulldog.

The bulldog is a short dog with a large head and shoulders, and crazy teeth.
They have folded skin on their head and lots of extra skin around the face and head.

The dog got the bull part in it's name because people used to put a bull and a dog together and make them fight and sometimes the dog would win even against a huge bull!

The dogs don't fight the bulls anymore because it wasn't nice for the dogs or the bulls.

(from: wikipedia - bulldog)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butterfly Eggs

Poodle

We just learned about the type of dog the golden retriever.

Another type of dog is the poodle.

There are three sizes of poodles, the standard, miniature and toy.
The standard large poodles were first used as hunting dogs for birds, and are very smart.
The smaller miniature and toy poodles were used to hunt truffles which are a type of mushroom.

Later on the smaller poodles were owned by rich people and royalty, and because they wanted them to look fancy they gave them different types of haircuts to show them off.

Their long curly hair can be twisted into braids like hair in dreadlocks, this is called a corded coat.
There are many types of other haircuts where the face, belly legs or tail are clipped to look fancy.

(from: wikipedia - poodle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mosquito Larvae

Golden Retriever

We just learned about the type of dog, the St. Bernard.

Another type of dog is the Golden Retriever.

These dogs have been used for many years as hunting dogs, because they are very smart and can sit quietly with their owners who are hunting, they love going in the water, and they really want to make their owners happy so they love to go fetch whatever duck or bird or animal the hunter shot.

Because these dogs are so friendly and smart, they have also become one of the most popular dogs to help lead blind people.

They are not great guard dogs, because they are too nice!

(from: wikipedia - golden retriever)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Osprey

St. Bernard

We just learned about the type of dog the Old English Sheepdog.

Another type of dog is the St. Bernard.
It is a very big dog, and can get as big as 260 lbs, heavier than a grown person!
They can get as tall as 3 feet tall, about waist height on a person.

Long ago in a mountain area that has a lot of snow, some people used these dogs to go out in the snow and rescue people that were stuck from avalanches or just out in the cold too long.
One dog named Barry saved the lives of 100 people!
He was so famous that they made a statue of him.

These days there are safer ways to get through the mountains so people don't use St. Bernhards for rescuing anymore, but they are still great dogs.

(from: wikipedia - st. bernard (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Loon

Old English Sheepdog

We just learned about the type of dog the chihuahua.

Another type of dog is the Old English Sheepdog.

These sheepdogs have shaggy long hair that even covers their eyes.
Some people brush their fur to keep it clean, and others give their dogs a hair cut.

Sometimes people even tie up their dogs hair in front of their face with a hair clip!


(from: wikipedia - old english sheepdog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sea Anemone

Chihuahua

We just learned about the type of dog the pug.

Another type of dog is a chihuahua

Chihuahuas are the smallest type of dog in the world.
They come from Mexico, and they can have long hair or short hair.
Some are known as apple head chihuahuas and others are deer head.
The apple head means they have a round shaped head, and the deer head means they have a longer nose and thinner face.


(from: wikipedia - chihuahua (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rosy Maple Moth

Pug

We just learned about the type of dog the Dachsund.

Another type of dog is the Pug.

Pugs have been around for a long time, and even were kept by kings and queens.
In The Netherlands, a pug once saved the life of the prince, so it became the favorite dog.
The wife of a famous leader named Napolean once was put in prison, and she used her little pug dog to carry secret messages to her husband.

(from: wikipedia - pug)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peacock Spider

Dachsund

We just learned about the type of dog the Lhasa Apso.

Another type of dog is the Dachshund.

The dachshund was used in the past to hunt badgers that would go underground.
The German word dachs means badger, and the word hund means dog.

Many people say the dog's name in different ways.
Some people say the first part like docks or dash or dacks,
and some people say the second part like hoont or hooned or hunned.

Because the dog has a long body and is very short, people have joked that the dog is half a dog high and two dogs long.

Some people thought the dog looked like a hot dog or a sausage, also called a weiner, so the dog is sometimes called a sausage dog or weiner dog!

Dachsunds come in three sizes, standard, miniature and kaninchen which means rabbit.
The smallest are 8 pounds and the largest are twice the size at 16 pounds.

They also come in three different types of fur. Short hair, long hair and wiry hair.


(from: wikipedia - dachshund)


(from: wikipedia - dachshund)


(from: wikipedia - dachshund)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Wolf Spider

Lhasa Apso

We just learned about the type of dog the Irish Wolfhound.

Another type of dog is the Lhasa Apso.

Lhasa Apsos are small dogs with very long hair.
They were first used by people in a place called Tibet, where people called monks used them as guard dogs.
They have good hearing and a loud sharp bark that they used to warn people of intruders.

The capital city of Tibet is Lhasa, and the word Apso means bearded, so their name means a bearded dog from the town of Lhasa.
Sometimes they are called Apso Seng Kyi, which means Bearded Lion Dog.

Some people believed that if an important person from Tibet died, they would go live in a Lhasa Apso dog.


(from: wikipedia - lhasa apso)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grey Crowned Crane

Irish Wolfhound

We just learned about the type of dog the Alaskan Malamute.

Another type of dog is the Irish Wolfhound.

This dog is the tallest of any type of dog.
It was used a long time ago to protect families by hunting down wolves!
Wolves are very strong fast and fierce animals, but the Irish Wolfhound's job was to chase down a wolf and kill it.

It is a very famous dog in Ireland, and for a long time was owned by the Kings of old Ireland.
When some of the dogs were sent to Rome, they used them to fight against lions and bears!

(from: wikipedia - irish wolfhound)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Stork