SEARCH LIGHT About how much taller is the tallest dog that the article mentions than the shortest one mentioned Dogs some of the most popular animals in the world come in many shapes and sizes They were among the first animals to be domesticated or tamed by humans Tim Davis Corbis 10
DOGS Companions Loyal DID YOU KNOW The ancient Egyptian god known as Anubis had a man’s body and the head of a jackal a member of the same family as dogs and wolves The For thousands of years dogs have held a special place in people’s hearts They are known as man’s best friend This is because they can be so brave loving and loyal Dogs are used to living in groups called packs and obeying a pack leader Now humans are their pack leaders Dogs depend on people for food mostly meat and perform services in return Since prehistoric times dogs have worked for people They have tracked game animals and retrieved them on land and water guarded houses and pulled sleds They have delivered messages herded sheep and even rescued people trapped in snow They sniff out illegal drugs and explosives help police make arrests and guide visually impaired people Fast-running dogs are used in races Dogs have many abilities and features that make them useful Sharp teeth are only one of these Most dogs Guide dog in a harness Boris Djuranovic Fotolia can smell fainter odors and hear higher notes than any person And although dogs don’t see many colors they are very good at noticing movement Dogs come in many shapes sizes and temperaments A big Irish wolfhound stands about 32 inches high at the withers or top of the shoulders The chihuahua however stands only about 5 inches tall Herding dogs such as collies tend to be intelligent Terriers which were bred to catch rodents were originally quite fierce But many different breeds of dogs now make playful family pets Dogs have been domesticated for much of human history When Pompeii the ancient Italian city that was buried by the eruption of a volcano in AD 79 was dug out a dog was found lying across a child Apparently it was trying to protect the youngster LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES CATS COYOTES HORSES wolfhound and the chihuahua is 27 inches Answer On average the difference between the Irish 11
of Beasts Donkeys were among the first animals to be tamed by humans The first donkeys probably came from Asia People ride donkeys and use them to carry heavy loads or burdens Because they are surefooted donkeys are useful on rough or hilly ground Donkeys play an important part in the lives of people Burden SEARCH LIGHT What’s one way that donkeys are like horses What’s one way that they’re different in the mountains of Ethiopia and other parts of northeastern Africa They are also important to the people in the high plains of Tibet and in parts of South America Donkeys today come in different sizes From the ground to the shoulder the American donkey is generally about 66 inches tall while the Sicilian donkey is only about 32 inches tall The donkey’s long ears are its most noticeable feature In color donkeys are usually white gray or black or shades in between Most have a dark stripe from the mane to the tail The mane of the donkey is short and tends to stick out Donkeys can survive on almost any kind of plant matter but usually they eat hay or grass They are gentle and patient and become fond of their masters if they are treated kindly Donkey carries load through the streets of Colombia South America Jeremy Horner Corbis These are a few of the reasons why some people tend to prefer donkeys to horses or mules The donkey is related to the horse Sometimes people crossbreed a donkey and a horse When the father is a donkey and the mother is a horse the baby is called a mule Donkeys are sometimes called burros which is the Spanish word for the animal LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES CATTLE HORSES SHEEP 12
DONKEYS This donkey shows how important these animals can be to their owners Donkeys are gentle and patient and become fond of their masters if they are treated kindly Galen Rowell Corbis DID YOU KNOW Donkeys can be famously stubborn If they don’t want to move then no amount of pushing or pulling budge them will considered better pack animals and are more patient than horses generally much taller than donkeys And donkeys are generally faces legs bodies tails and manes Horses however are Answer Donkeys and horses look very much alike with similar 13
