March 2
Greyhound Fun Facts
1. Greyhounds are the second fastest land animal. They can reach speeds of up to 45 mph. Only the cheetah is faster. Cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 75 mph.
2. Greyhounds are sight hounds which means they hunt primarily by sight & speed instead of scent & endurance as scent hounds do. Greyhounds can see clearly for a distance of half a mile. Their field of vision is 270°. A human’s field of vision is 180°.
3. During a 30 second race, a greyhound’s heart circulates its entire blood volume five times. In comparison, during intense exercise your blood may complete a circuit in 20 seconds.
4. Each racing greyhound is tattooed. The right ear has their birth month and year; their left ear has their litter number.
5. Greyhounds appear on the Bayeux Tapestry which is over 200 feet long and tells the story of the Norman Conquest. You see panel 1 above.
Each breed has their own set of fun facts. Google your dog’s breed and see what you find out. You can be sure, it will be fascinating.
*grin* Every once in a while, I do a Greyhound history lesson on the blog. It amazes me how popular they are! Have you read Reign of the Greyhound? It’s a fascinating history lesson if you can get your hands on it!
I LOVE your Greyhound history lessons! I have not read Reign of the Greyhound. I purchased a copy and then when we lost our first houndie, Paloma, I wanted to give a gift to the young woman who brought her into our lives…so I gave it to her. She really enjoyed it. I’m glad you reminded me about it. Amazon, here I come. (I also went on B&N.com and hit the “Tell the publisher you want this in NOOKbook format.”)