Humans have a lot to learn about their long-time best friend, the dog. The canine race exhibits a number of mysterious skills that researchers have been working to figure out for decades. Here are some surprising Fido facts:
Petting a dog can cause blindness
The Toxocara Canis roundworm can be transmitted from canine to human through simple physical contact, such as petting. The nasty parasite is usually found in the dog's intestines, but can grow behind the human eye resulting in blindness, the "How To" Man Guide reported.
Dog's "fingerprints" are found on their noses
Dogs can be identified through a unique "noseprint." Some places in the U.S. have started to use the individualized prints for canine identification, but Canada has been doing it since the 1930s, All Pet News reported.
Man's best friend gets more aggressive when going for a walk with a man
Dogs getting walked by a male are four times likely to bite other dogs than those walking with women. "We propose that the occurrence of threat and biting in dogs on a walk may have some connection with aggressive tendencies and/or impulsivity in people," Petr Rezac, who led the study, said, Discovery News reported.
Dogs can predict earthquakes
A doctor conducted a study in 2003 that concluded dogs behaved "erratically" before an earthquake. Canines would bite and bark before any human noticed something wasn't right. The researcher even said dogs could be used to detect future natural disasters, National Geographic reported.
Dogs can feel envy, but those sad-looking eyes actually don't have guilt behind them
A 2008 study rewarded some dogs for performing tricks, but not others. The unrewarded dogs would act agitated, and wouldn't make eye contact with the other canines. On the other hand, dogs will give those notorious puppy-dog-eyes when scolded regardless of whether they are guilty of raiding the garbage or not. Wrongfully accused dogs actually tend to look guiltier than the true culprit, which led researchers to believe they don't actually feel guilt, LiveScience reported.
Canines can smell human disease
Dogs have shown the ability to detect cancers of the lung, bladder, prostate, breast, and skin. They can also smell rises and drops in blood sugar in diabetics. In some cases, canines have even been able to sense oncoming seizures up to 45 minutes before they occur.
