St. bernards have a well-deserved reputation as rescue dogs. In fact, the most successful mountain rescue dog ever was a st. bernard. His name was Barry. He lived during the early 1800's, during which time he saved 40 lives.

The name bernese mountain dog is a rough translation of the German "berner sennenhund", which literally means "bernese alpine herdsman's dog". The breed's original name was "durrbachler", after an inn where these farm dogs were bought and sold.

Beagles are known to be extremely social and cheerful dogs. They are expected to be so friendly that, even in dog shows, the judges expect them to be happy. They have points removed in the judging if they look to be unhappy.

Many people think that the kerry blue terrier is the national dog of Ireland. Actually, the Irish government never has given this designation to any breed. Michael Collins, one of Irelands most famous patriots, introduced legislation to elevate the Kerry Blue, or the Irish Blue Terrier as they were then called, to the national dog of Ireland. After his murder, the interest in the initiative was lost.

While many people think of Boxers as aggressive, they are actually great with children. They were bred to be hunters, yes, but they were bred to corner prey, not kill it. As a result, they are protective, yet patient.

German shepherd dogs are great working dogs. They are often used as police dogs, rescue dogs and guides for the blind. In fact, one of them, a guide dog named Orient, once led a blind hiker the entire 2100 mile length of the Appalachian Trail.

The largest and the smallest dogs to live in the White House were both there during the tenure of president James Buchanan. The president had a Newfoundland named Lara. His niece, Harriet Lane, had a tiny toy terrier named Punch.

Barbara Bush wrote "Millie's Book", a book about her English Springer Spaniel, Millie. The book was an instant success. It was on the bestseller list for 29 weeks. Millie was the most popular "First Dog" in United States history.

The tibetan terrier is not a true terrier and is probably more closely related to the lhasa apso. However, the tibetan terrier is indeed from Tibet, where monks once treasured this intelligent breed of dogs as guardians of their temples.

There is a grammar debate about the Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound). The plural, "Borzois", may be found in dictionaries. However, the Borzoi Club of America asserts that "Borzoi" is the preferred form for both singular and plural.

German Shepherds have incredibly sensitive noses. They have over 225 million cell receptors in their noses, making them ideal for police work, such as bomb and drug sniffing, finding missing children and tracking criminals.

The Lundehund is a breed which has lived solely on two islands in the north of Norway. The Lundehund has sever extra toes and paw cushions! That makes it excellent as a climbing dog, bred for rugged terrain. It also has the unusual ability to close its ears.

In the original 101 Dalmatians movie, Pongo has 72 spots, Perdita has 68 and each of the puppies has 32. Real dalmations have unique numbers and patterns of spots, almost like a human beigns fingerprint.