Time to start the ultimate stupid resource thread. This is the place to put your questions. You know the type...the ones that should be obvious, yet are inscrutable and frustrating. We'll post our questions here, and hope for answers, serious or otherwise.
Here's mine to kick things off:
On the way to work this morning, I saw the happiest dog in the world. It was a boxer, sitting in his master's lap, in the driver's seat, flying down the the highway with his head hanging out the window, ears flying in the breeze and a trail of saliva spewing out in the wake. This dog looked as if he could go for 10,000 miles that way. I swear, he was smiling.
So, can anyone tell me...why do dogs like to go down the road at 70 mph with their heads hanging out the window, yet hate it so much when you blow in their faces?
Because your breath stinks...
DAMN IT!!! you beat me to it!
Must be a different kind of dog, 'cause both of mine love my stinky morning breath.
Therefore we can deduce that dogs like the smell of automobile exhaust better than the smell of people breath?
Why do you think they chase cars?
It also has to do with the pack mentality -- the topdog blowing in the face of a subdog is not a happening deal.
Dogs are totally smell-oriented, and when it's going 70mph the smorgasbord of smells are like a sensory overload.
Not to mention the fact that they pant to cool themselves off, and at 70mph, all the effort is taken out of the panting. They're lazy. Just like us.
Speaking of dogs, why are dalmatians supposed to be associated with firefighters? What the hell good is a dog in a fire?
the dog can go into a burning building to clear it of recalcitrant cats.
Firemen spend most of their time in the firehouse. ;)
Dogs are lower than the smoke and can find things we can't see for all the smoke.
Dogs have a tough time wearing a scott-pack. While they are good for search and rescue, sending a furry creature with a tendency to panic around fire into a burning building is not a good idea.
Dals are associated with firemen because they are carriage dogs. Horse drawn fire wagons came after human pulled ones (which are quite a sight to see. My local fire company has a human-drawn fire wagon that they take to parades and musters).
Cecil Says ...What the heck were carriage dogs used for then? Herding the horse when the driver fell asleep at the reins? :confused:
Carriage dogs look cool, keep the horses calm, and guard them. They were like car alarms, only you had to feed them. Oh, and they could attack the horse thieves, which my car alarm will not yet do. (I want the one from, what was it ... Robocop?)
That one dog looks so thin... poor thing
Actually, they all do...
Speaking of dogs, why are dalmatians supposed to be associated with firefighters? What the hell good is a dog in a fire?
Dalmations have a high incendence of deafness, and other auditory issues. I'd always heard that they were less disturbed that other dogs by the constant clamor of a firehouse, and therefore made better guard dogs for the station. tradition and momentum also having a part in it.
Now this guy knows how to relax....
A friend of mine's dalmation, Ax (yes, daddy was a fireman, their other dal was named Smokey) was deaf. They agreed to have him neutered so the breeder gave him to them free.
His owners had to teach him sign language for obedience commands. Instead of calling him they stamp their feet on the floor to get his attention. One of the first things he was taught was to always keep an eye on master and mistress.
The fewer the spots the higher the incidence of deafness. This is a common problem in dals, apparently 1 in 12 is born deaf. That is not, however, why they are firedogs.
Debunking from the Toledo Fire Museum.