Dog

Scientific name: Canis lupus familiaris

Habitat: Dogs are found all over the world, and it is one 0f the main domesticated animals, kept as pets. Wild dogs are found in the jungles in different parts of Asia, Africa and Australia. Many dogs are found roaming in the street. These are called unpet or street dogs. Pet as well as unpet dogs love to remain in association with human beings in a locality. Wild dogs are rare in India. However, there is a type of wild dog found in the western part of India, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa. The house of dog is known as kennel.

Habit: Dogs vary widely in their sizes, shapes, colors and habits depending on the breed (type). The dog is a quadruped (four footed) carni9vours animal that likes to live in groups. Its body is covered with a coat of hairs. Wild dogs have much structural similarity with foxes and wolves.

Some Varieties: Sheep-dogs are used to protect the herds of sheep from attack of wolves or jackals. There is another type of dogs found in very cold countries like Greenland, Siberia. These dogs are used for drawing sledge. In general, dogs are very faithful to their masters.

Birth and life-span: During the breeding season, a female dog gives birth to 3-6 puppies. The mother is very affectionate to her puppies and takes care of them till they are able to live independently. The average lifespan of a dog is about 12-15 years.

Features of Dog:

• Dogs are nocturnal by nature. They sleep in day time and become active at night.
• The dogs bark and make various types of sounds such as snarl, howl, bark and growl to express their different moods.
• Dogs can run fast. Their long legs help them in running fast. As they walk and run on their toes they are called digitigrades animals.
• Dogs can swim well in water.
• Although carnivorous in nature, pet dogs like milk, rice, bread, cooked vegetables, etc.
• Their canine teeth are well developed, sharp and suitable for eating flesh.
• The sense of smell and hearing is highly developed in dogs and they are very intelligent. Dogs are employed to detect criminals.
• Dogs have sharp vision and can run fast. For this reason they are used in hunting.
• The sweet glands of the dogs are situated in the tongue. For this reason, when the dogs feel hot or get tired they are seen panting with their tongues hanging outside their mouths. By this process of panting they cool themselves. In the winter months, dogs can be seen lying in the form of a coil.