National Dog Week 2022: 7 fun facts by the numbers

National Dog Week is observed from Sept. 20 to Sept. 27.

In celebration of man’s best friend, Fox News Digital is taking a look at seven number-based dog facts.

1928 – National Dog Week was created by Captain William Lewis Judy, a World War I veteran and ordained minister who advocated for the humane treatment of dogs, according to the Animal History Museum, a historical nonprofit organization. He reportedly established the observance week in 1928.

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48M – There are more than 48.2 million dogs living in America, according to a pet ownership estimate published by the American Veterinary Medical Association, a nonprofit veterinarian trade organization that’s based in Schaumburg, Illinois.

3.1M – Approximately 3.1 million dogs enter shelters each year in America, according to an estimate published by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

200 to 500 – The number of dog breeds in the world isn’t exact and varies depending on each kennel club and governing body, reports Pet Keen, an animal health and gear publication led by veterinarians.

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“The [American Kennel Club] only recognizes 195 breeds, while the [Federation Cynologique International] recognizes 360 breeds officially,” the site reported in July. “Then, there are all the experimental breeds.”

The group continued, “So there isn’t an exact, worldwide, internationally agreed-upon number, but it would be safe to say there are anywhere between 195 and 500 dog breeds in the world.”

As of July 2022, canine experts at the AKC recognize 200 dog breeds.

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15 to 20 times – While an old saying claims dogs age seven times faster than humans, research suggests otherwise. A 1953 study conducted in France found that dogs age 15 to 20 times faster than humans during their first year of life and that eventually tapers off to one dog year being equivalent to about five human years, according to Smithsonian Magazine – the official journal of the Smithsonian Institute.

130,000 years – Scientists believe dogs first evolved from wolves about 130,000 years ago, which they’ve based on a published DNA analysis from 1997, according to PBS.

Historical records show that humans reportedly domesticated wild dogs about 12,000 years ago.

31,700 years – In 2008, a group of researchers identified the remains of a dog that reportedly lived 31,700 years ago in Belgium during the paleolithic era, according to the World History Encyclopedia. The dog’s remains resembled that of a Siberian Husky. The discovery is considered one of the world’s oldest dog remain finds to be found thus far, the encyclopedia reports.