Schnauzer Tongues and Science Generalizations

 I think I am being generous when I say "science generalizations."  If any of you have read some of my older posts you will understand that I get very irritated with "popular science" (not the magazine, the social concept where people throw out theories (if you can even call them that) without any valid evidence or research... and they become "de facto").

So I own a standard schnauzer, she's my little angel, or little devil depending on the moment.  She isn't much of a licker, but I realized early on that her tongue was very cat-like.  Not quite as rough and they feel smaller than a cats, but definitely full of tongue teeth.  (I own 2 cats as well).  So I had always thought cats have rough tongues, dogs have smooth tongues due to being obligate carnivores and for social reasons (self care, whereas dogs were pack animals and took care of one another).

So I started to do some research.

And, per usual, one idea is tossed out there on the internet, enough people latch onto it and it becomes SCIENCE FACT.  Such bologna.

First, dogs and cats had the same ancestors.  They just took slightly different paths and as a result their skeletons, brains and behavior became quite different.  HOWEVER... while cats are obligate carnivores and only eat meat, except for the grass in our lawn that our cats cow out on every once in awhile, dogs eat almost anything they can get in their mouths.  You think I am kidding, I have 3 dogs and some of the stuff that comes out of the OTHER end would amaze you.  Also, if you have coyote in the area, you would see it in their poop.  Actually we don't need coyote, my schnauzer loves to snack on the waste seed from our birds... her poop looks every bit that of a wild dog.

I am sorry, getting way off topic here.

So tongues.  Turns out if you google cat and dog tongues 99.999999% of the responses that come back will say "cats have rough tongues, dogs have smooth tongues *sound of book slamming shut* CASE CLOSED".   BZZZZZZZZT!  An untruth.  Dogs, to varying degrees, often based on the breed but for all I know it could be an individual recessive genetic trait or something, DO HAVE TONGUE HOOKS.  They are, after all, primarily carnivorous and the original dogs did have long fur which needed to be groomed.

I've never been licked by a wolf, but apparently they have very rough tongues.  Lo and behold, our beloved domesticated dogs are direct descendants of a type of Asian/European wolf.  So, my schnauzer's tongue is very rough, but definitely not as rough as our cats' tongues, but sometimes she licks my face and goes for my eyes... it hurts.  Her tongue is rough enough that when she hits my eyelids I wince involuntarily.

Well I've rambled on long enough.  The point is, don't believe anything you read on the internet, or what people tell you even if you trust them... find out for yourself.  Test for the truth.  Don't believe what I am telling you right now!  Go do the research for yourself.  It's the only way to know.