Dogs were one of the first animals domesticated by humans and have been domesticated for some 10,000 years.

The Saluki, the name deriving from the Arabic word meaning ‘noble one', is the oldest known breed of dog. In ancient Egypt, they were bred as hunting dogs.

Animals seem to have held a special place in ancient Egyptian. In fact, the penalty for taking the life of a greyhound was the same as that of killing a man.

Cats during ancient Egypt were considered demigods and the property of divine Pharaoh. That ranked them above humans, making them the first to be saved if a house caught fire, before the people.

Kubla Khan owned the greatest number of dogs ever to be owned by one person -- a whopping 5000 mastiffs!

The ancient Chinese royalty loved the Pekingese, carrying them tucked into the sleeves of their royal robes.

The Lhasa Apso was once used by monks as guard dogs in temples.

Lord Byron, the English Romantic poet, had inscribed upon the gravestone of his beloved Newfoundland, Boatswain, the following: "Beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of man without his vices."

In the late 1860's, the Doberman breed was created by Louis Doberman, a German tax-collector, with the intent of protecting him while he worked.

Read more fun pet facts throughout history