Question Sheet: What Makes a Dog?

SCIENCE

Before reading:

1. Why do you think dogs are extremely popular as pets? 
2. What’s the difference between a purebred dog and a mutt?

During reading:

1. What is DNA? 
2. What is the most common killer of older dogs? 
3. Name three ailments that certain breeds of dogs are prone to. 
4. Describe the breeding process. 
5. Summarize the story of how dogs first became pets. 
6. Explain how scientists and breeders changed the Burmese mountain dog.

After reading:

1. Compare and contrast what characteristics make a dog more marketable or easier to take care of for a person living in an urban environment versus a rural area. 
2. Do you think it is fair or ethical to make a breed that looks nice but has lots of health problems? Why or why not? 
3. Do you think the same breeding problems occur in cats as in dogs? 
4. Why do people and dogs suffer from many of the same diseases? 
5. Come up with a question related to dogs that future DNA studies might be able to answer. 
6. How might studies of dog DNA affect the types of dog food or accessories (such as bedding, collars, and toys) that people could buy for their pets?

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SOCIAL STUDIES

1. Why were dogs domesticated thousands of years before other animals and plants? 
2. What characteristics of dogs caused them to have such high value in ancient societies?

References:

Once big bad wolf, now man’s best friend: Science studies trace dogs’ origins

www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-11/aaft-obb111402.php (Science)

The origin of the domestic dog, Canis familiaris www.ualberta.ca/~jzgurski/dog.htm (Jessie Zgurski, University of Alberta)

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LANGUAGE ARTS

1. Write your own story of how a wolf first became a pet in a Stone Age community. 
2. Research a breed of dog. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this particular pet? Write a news article about the breed that you chose, highlighting why this particular breed might not be right for a certain type of family.

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MATHEMATICS

In 2003, the American Kennel Club registered 915,671 dogs in the United States. Here’s the list of the top 10 breeds.

1. Of all dogs registered in the United States in 2003, what percentage were Labrador retrievers? 
2. Of all registered dogs, how many dogs belong to a breed not among the top 10 breeds? 
3. For every registered Chihuahua, how many Labrador retrievers were there?