Toy: Pekinese, Pomeranians and pugs who are pets and companions;
Nonsporting: Boston terriers, bulldogs, chows, Dalmatians and poodle who are
bred principally as pets and companions.
Although coming from the same ancestor, dogs vary dramatically from breed to
breed. The smallest is the Chihuahua. It weighs only 4 pounds and is 5 inches
high at the shoulders. The tallest breed is the Irish wolfhound, measuring about
39 inches tall at the shoulder.
The St Bernard is the heaviest dog. It weighs on average about 200 pounds
when fully grown. The Yorkshire terrier has hair that grows to 2 feet long while
other breeds may have no hair at all such as the Mexican hairless.
Their fur may be curly or straight. Some dogs have two coats with an outer
coat of long tough hairs and the undercoat that is short and fluffy. These two
coats protect dogs from rain and snow.
Some dogs have a long muzzle while others have flat faces such as the Pug.
Many breeds have pointed ears that stand up while others can have floppy ears
that hang down.
Some dogs have long legs such as the greyhound. Others have extremely short
ones such as the basset hound and the dachshund. The chow chow is famous for its
unique black tongue.
As man's most important companion, dogs sacrifice their freedom for food and
shelter. And because of human attempts to develop new breeds of dog, many
hereditary diseases such as deafness, blindness and even cancers now occur in
thoroughbred types.
Editor: Cindy
