Canine Puns Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bolognese

The pun here unites the food spaghetti bolognese, the sauce of which originated in Bologna, Italy, and a small breed of dog known as a bolognese. A member of the toy group of canines, these little dogs are so adorable looking, they look like they belong on the shelf of a toy store. Unlike most other dogs, the bolognese doesn't shed hair.

Its fur has a soft woolly feel to it instead. These little fellows have a long history, dating back at least to the year 1200, and are thought to have originated also in Bologna, Italy, where they were often seen with the aristocrats of the time. Surprisingly the spaghetti strands that are the other half of spaghetti bolognese did not originate in Italy but were introduced into that country from Arab conquerors of Sicily between the years 827 to 902 AD.

Answer: Wagged

This pun combines the moving of a dog's tail wagging vigorously, with that of a child playing truant from school, an activity known in the common vernacular as "wagging". A dog has several ways of displaying emotions with its tail. The one you should be wary of is when that tail is held very stiff and straight. That's a threatening position that can, if not respected, lead to an attack.

When its tail is wagging broadly, however, the dog is happy and friendly - always a lovely sight to see. You never ever - ever - want to see a little dog with its tail tucked nervously and anxiously between its leg in a position of fear, submission and ill-treatment though.

The cruel person who has reduced its dog to that level doesn't deserve to be called human. Truancy (wagging) is unauthorised absence from school, usually to have a day of pure, unsupervised fun, but one that is illegal.

A good education is needed to enliven the mind and the personality and to progress in life through a fulfilling and rewarding career. Oh, but just once in a while, the joy of wagging school is irresistible. (Children, block your ears!) I've done it myself now and then.

Answer: An Irish Wolfhound

An Irish wolfhound is a very large dog from Ireland. Bred as a hound to accompany men into battle and fight beside them, this dog's purpose evolved into a hunting animal (particular of wolves - hence its name), and then into a guard animal and family pet. Some pet though. Wolfhounds are beautifully affectionate animals with their families, but they're the size of a small horse. They're also not terribly effective as guard dogs in spite of their enormous size, because their friendly nature almost sees them ushering burglars through the door. They're lovely old boys, all the same. It is thought the Irish wolfhound was brought to Ireland as far back as 7000 BC, when man began to move out from his origins and populate the globe. That's as good a story as any at any rate. Many centuries later, when the English decided to stick their bibs into Ireland and subsequently take it over, they decreed that only the nobility could own wolfhounds. They also took a vast number of the dogs back with them to England, leaving the breed dangerously depleted in the land of the green. It would be a Scotsman, Captain George Augustus Graham, who devoted his life to ensuring the survival of the Irish wolfhound, God bless his little set of bagpipes.

It used to be commonly seen in cartoons in days gone by, that, when a man stole an uninvited kiss from a girl, she slapped his face and squealed "Oh you wolf!" in feminine indignation. This question combines the use of the Irish wolfhound with the lad from the land of the shamrocks (Ireland) into the wolf who stole a kiss from the above outraged damsel.

Answer: Husky

Inuit is a term given to similar groups of native peoples from the regions of Greenland, Canada and Alaska - cold climate dwellers who have adapted perfectly to their environment. In the wintry months of the year, the Inuit got around in sleds pulled by dogs known as huskies. These canines were created by breeding dogs with wolves. The resulting huskies were strong and sturdy animals perfectly adapted to the cold weather, and capable of pulling sleds over rough terrain and long distances. In the warmer months, when sleds were no longer needed, they were used as pack animals and sniffing out seals. Oh dear - so valued were huskies to the Inuit that rituals were carried out whenever another one was born. Part of this ritual was pulling its legs so that they would grow stronger, and poking the poor little thing's nose with a pin to enhance its sense of smell.

When a person has a sore throat, this usually interferes with their speech production and swallowing muscles. The voice becomes hoarser than normal and this is usually described as sounding husky. The pun for this question combines the two meanings of husky into the one.

Answer: Went barking mad

If anyone is described in everyday use as having gone "barking mad", that person has lost his or temper completely, is shouting abuse on top note, and threatening the most dire of consequences. It really is a lot like a dog barking its head off at someone, and threatening to tear that person limb from limb if only it could get out and at him.

This pun combines these two descriptions of barking. Describing someone as having gone "barking mad" is also a very cruel and thoughtless term applied to anyone who is undergoing a period of mental illness.

Answer: Flea

What a noble crook. Obviously he was only breaking into the pet store to feed the budgies. Flea used in this case unites the use of the similar sounding word "flee" (the act of running away from danger) with "flea", one of those pesky little critters that are the bane of a dog's existence when they bite in the most inaccessible of spots for a fellow to reach.

Did you know that, for 150 years from the 1820s, flea circuses were considered a jolly form of entertainment for humans? Fleas were harvested and sorted into jumpers or walkers. Their necks were then encased in very thin gold wire strands known as harnesses in which they stayed for life. Walking fleas were attached to miniature objects such as small carts and carriages, and these were pulled around by then wherever they moved in their cages. Jumping fleas had miniature balls placed in front of them. When they tried to jump away from them, it appeared as though they were kicking the balls. One extra cruel method of flea "entertainment" was to glue them to the floor of their cages, after which miniature musical instruments were glued to the fleas. The cage was then heated, and, as the heat became unbearable and the fleas tried to jump away from the floor on which they were fastened, it appeared as though they were playing the musical instruments.

Answer: Red Setter

Many people with fairish coloured skin, if they spend too long in the sun at any one time, become sunburned, with the result that their skin turns various shades of red. The Red Setter dog, also known as an Irish Setter, is a beautiful dog with a long silky red coat, a regal and noble stance when he decides to act dignified, and an affectionate playful nature.

These dogs love going for long walks (they were bred to accompany hunters originally) but comically so, because they like this activity so much, they'll pretend not to hear you when you whistle for them to return to your side, the villains.

In more recent times, they have been used as therapy dogs in hospitals and retirement homes because of their lovely placid natures. The broad smiles they appear to wear on their faces are just a delight to see.

Some of my cousins had a setter for years. Unimaginatively, they called him "Red", used to dress him up in human clothing - including a bonnet - and paint his toenails a shade of pink. I think he was a little mortified, but endured it well.

Answer: He growled at her

He snapped at her as well. Unless they live in a jungle, growling is an animal sound that most people associate with dogs. This is a low, rumbling, menacing sound that dogs use either as a warning to back off, or one that precedes an attack by the dog, or simply to express anger. If one person answers another in a surly and unpleasant manner, he is usually describes in parochial terms as having growled at the other.

The two meanings of this word are used in this pun.

Answer: Hounded him

Hounds are dogs used by hunters to help locate or bring down their prey. They were the first hunting dogs bred by man in this regard because of their speed, powerful build, and strong sense of smell. There are several types of hounds used by hunters and/or law enforcement agencies today. These are categorised as either sighthounds (they keep their prey in sight by easily matching their speed); scenthounds (these track their prey by following their scent); or hounds that have a combination of both these skills.

If you are being hounded by another person to do anything, you are also being tracked down and harassed relentlessly too, so the pun here combines the meaning of these two examples.

Answer: Old Danish Pointer

Anyone who lives in Copenhagen, the capital city of the country of Denmark, is described as being Danish in more general terms to reflect his or her nationality. This particular Danish person worked for a long time as a tour guide in his country, "pointing" out sights of interest to tourists. The pun combines this work, with that of the dog breeds known as Pointers.

Pointer dogs are several different breeds of hunting dogs that have an amazing ability, when locating prey, to stop, hold one paw off the ground, point their noses to the prey's location and stiffen up their bodies (including their tails). This is known as standing on point and it's fascinating to see. Well, apart from the poor old downed prey, that is. This is an natural ability in these dogs and it begins to manifest itself when they are approximately two months old.