THE ORIGIN OF DOGS.

DOG-carnivorous mammal of the family of the family Canidae. The wild dog, usually with long legs, long muzzle, and bushy tail, lives by chasing its prey. Many live in packs. Wild dogs include the raccoon dog of Asia and several South American forms, such as the bush dog and the maned wolf. Dog are strong, fast mammals that usually have furry coats and long muzzles and they have powerful teeth and jaws. Dogs are hunters and scavengers but they have weak eyes and rely on their hearing and strong sense of smell. Dogs were the first animals to be tamed by humans, and they have lived and worked with people for thousands of years. The dog family includes foxes, coyotes, and jackals.

Domestic dogs are members of the species Canis familiaris. There are more than 200 known breeds of highly variable appearance, classified as sporting dogs, nonsporting dogs, working dogs, toy dogs, hounds, and terriers. The dog is an invaluable servant to humans-it can hunt, lead the blind, and transport. Female dogs have between one and twelve puppies at a time. For the first few days pf their lives, the puppies feed on their mother’s milk. As they get older, their mother feeds them meat which she has chewed to make it easier to swallow.

Wolves are the largest members of the dog family. They are the ancestors of the dogs people keep as pets. Wolves used to be very common, but now they live only in parts of Europe, Asia, and the North America that are far way from people. Wolves often howl to warn others that they are nearby. Red foxes are found all around the world. They live on mountains, in the deserts, and even in cities. They eat small animals and birds, or scavenge in garbage cans. Foxes only live in family groups while their young are growing up. At other times, they live alone or in pairs.

Many of today’s pet, or domestic, dogs look very different from wolves, often because people bred them to do special jobs. Terriers are small because they were bred to hunt animals in their underground burrow. Greyhounds are light and fast, for hunting rabbits. Some dogs also do useful work for people. Sheepdogs help shepherds to round up large flocks of sheep and on the r other hand guide dogs help blind people to find their way around. Husky dogs work as a team. They can pull heavy sledges over snow.

The smallest dog is a Chihuahua. It is only 5 inches tall from its paw to its shoulders. That's about as hogh as a tin can!!