Top Records of Dogs…and Fun Facts

Records were made to be broken, but some will prove awfully hard to bust. In the world of dogs, you may not want to try – unless you're keen on buying enough food to feed a 300-pound dog.

Here are some all-time, never-been-broken records set by dogs and cats. These records have stood the test of time – and heaven help us if they are ever broken.

• The tallest dog ever recorded stood at a towering 42 inches at the shoulder. Standing on hind legs, the dog reached 6 foot 9 inches. From nose to tail, he was just under 8 feet. The dog was a Great Dane from Great Britain, who lived from 1975 to 1984.
• The smallest dog also hailed from Great Britain. The Yorkshire terrier was just 2.5 inches tall from the shoulder and weighed just 4 ounces. The little dog did not survive to his second birthday; he died in 1945.
• The world's oldest dog lived to the ripe old age of 29 years and 5 months. Born in 1910, Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, faithfully herded cattle for more than 20 years before retiring. He died in 1939. (Bluey's longevity is reliably documented; other claims have not been verified.)
• The world's strongest dog is reputed to be Lobo, an Alaskan malamute. The 165-pound dog pulled a 10,000-pound truck/trailer 20 feet in the early 1970s.
• The most prolific mother award goes to Lena, an American foxhound who gave birth to 23 puppies in June 1944, in Ambler, Pa. The little miracles, black and white spotted puppies, all lived and reached maturity.

Other Interesting Pet Facts

The world of pets is full of little-known but interesting facts. Here are just a few:

• The bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in a U.S. court of law.
• Two dogs survived the Titanic disaster – a Pomeranian and a Pekingese.
• The first commercially available dog food was available in 1870 in Great Britain. The product was called Spratt's Patent Meal Fibrine Dog Cakes.
• Each year, Americans spend more on dog food than baby food.
• Mutt is short for the word "muttonhead," which was slang for dimwit. Somehow the word was applied to dogs in the 20th century, and then to dogs of mixed breeds.
• The phrase "dog days of summer" was originally a reference to the constellations. It refers to the period between July and September, when the "dog star" Sirius rises early with the sun.