Physical characteristics Shiba Inus have a unique appearance that resembles foxes. Some dogs, like this Weimaraner, have their predatory instincts suppressed in order to better assist human hunters.
Modern dog breeds show more variation in size, appearance, and behaviour than any other domestic animal. Within the range of extremes, dogs generally share attributes with their wild ancestors, the wolves. Dogs are predators and scavengers, possessing sharp teeth and strong jaws for attacking, holding, and tearing their food. Although selective breeding has changed the appearance of many breeds, all dogs retain basic traits from their distant ancestors. Like many other predatory mammals, the dog has powerful muscles, fused wristbones, a cardiovascular system that supports both sprinting and endurance, and teeth for catching and tearing. Compared to the bone structure of the human foot, dogs technically walk on their toes.
Sight Amazonian dogs, such as this one from Alto Amazonas,
Dogs were thought to be dichromats and thus, by human standards, colour blind. It is now known that dogs cant see the colour red very well.
Different breeds of dogs have different eye shapes and dimensions, and they also have different retina configurations. Dogs with long noses have a “visual streak” which runs across the width of the retina and gives them a very wide field of excellent vision, while those with short noses have an “area centralis” — a central patch with up to three times the density of nerve endings as the visual streak — giving them detailed sight much more like a humans.
Some breeds, particularly the best sighthounds, have a field of vision up to 270° (compared to 180° for humans), although broad-headed breeds with short noses have a much narrower field of vision, as low as 180°.
Dog meat for human consumption
In a number of countries around the world, apart from being kept as pets, certain breeds of dogs are slaughtered as a source of meat and specifically raised on farms for that purpose. In countries where dogs are particularly popular as household pets, the use of dogs as a source of food is often considered a taboo and abhorrent cultural practice, although there are exceptions such as Vietnam where dogs are popular as pets and as meat.
Cruelty to dogs refers to treatment which causes unacceptable suffering or harm. What qualifies as unacceptable suffering varies depending on the country and its culture.
The long shared history of dogs and humans has resulted in many individual dogs achieving fame or notoriety, and many fictional dogs have been created for literature, cinema, and elsewhere.