For the Love of Dogs at Mountain Laurel Inn!

Golden Retrievers have been a part of Mountain Laurel Inn B&B in Mentone since it opened back in 1996 with the arrival of Baxter followed by Lickety-Split and now Sammie. Goldens are social, love lots of attention and are easily trained so being a host at a bed and breakfast is a natural calling. What a rewarding career that allows them to utilize their motherly instinct. Read more about these special B&B guest ambassadors at our updated website page Best B&B Greeters in Alabama. Come to Mentone and Mountain Laurel Inn and let Sammie demonstrate her hospitality soon.

Can you name these other famous Golden Retrievers?
1. From Bush’s baked beans TV commercial
2. From the movie Air Bud
3. From the movie Homeward Bound
4. From the TV show Full House
5. The pet of former President Gerald Ford
Answers at end of blog

Fun and interesting facts for dog lovers found on http://www.funfidos.com/

The ones that Sammie gave three barks for are:

• The world’s smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever.



• The ten most popular dogs (AKC, 2007) are in order:Labrador Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier, German Shepherd,Golden Retriever, Beagle, Boxer, Dachshund, Poodle,Shih Tzu, and Bulldog.



• Most pet owners (94 percent) say their pet makes them smile more than once a day.
  Seventy percent of people sign their pet’s name on greeting cards and 58 percent include their pets in family and holiday portraits, according to a survey done by the American Animal Hospital Association.

Additional facts found on the site:

• Eighty percent of dog owners buy their dog a present for holidays and birthdays. More than half of them sign letters and cards from themselves and their pets.



• A dog’s heart beats between 70 and 120 times a minute, compared with a human heart which beats 70 to 80 times a minute.



• The longest lived dog, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was an Australian Cattle Dog, named Bluey, who lived to be 29.



• It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.



• If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!



• The only sweat glands a dog has are between the paw pads.



• Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill.



• More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog.



• Dogs don’t like rain because the sound is amplified and hurts their very sensitive ears.




• A greyhound can run as fast as 45 miles an hour.



• Small dogs live the longest. Toy breeds live up to 16 years or more. Larger dogs average is 7 - 12 years.


• The dog name “Fido” is from Latin and means “fidelity.”



• The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world.



• Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible.



• It has been established that people who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.



• A dog’s whiskers are touch-sensitive hairs called vibrissae. They are found on the muzzle, above the eyes and below the jaws, and can actually sense tiny changes in airflow.



• Dogs can smell about 1,000 times better than humans. While humans have 5 million smell-detecting cells, dogs have more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is also four times larger in dogs than in humans.
  
  Answers: 1. Duke 2. Buddy 3. Shadow 4. Comet 5. Liberty