Ryan earns $5 for each small dog he walks and $8 for each large dog he walks. Today he walked 8 dogs and made a total of $49. How many small dogs did Ryan walk?

Ryan walked blank small dogs.

Let's say Ryan walked x small dogs and y large dogs.

From the given information, we can form the following equations:
1. x + y = 8 (total number of dogs walked)
2. 5x + 8y = 49 (total earnings)

Now, we can solve these equations simultaneously.
From the first equation:
x = 8 - y

Substitute this into the second equation:
5(8 - y) + 8y = 49
40 - 5y + 8y = 49
3y = 9
y = 3

Now, substitute y back into the first equation:
x + 3 = 8
x = 5

Therefore, Ryan walked 5 small dogs.