It’s easy to take for granted just how special our bond is with our four legged friends. Our close relationship with dogs goes back farther than any other known animal, with some evidence pointing to over 30,000 years. How far exactly is still a mystery and may always be but it was long before civilizations rose or nations were born, before humans had even figured out how to write languages.
When humans spread across the remaining continents they didn’t do it alone. They did it with an entirely different species by their side; Dogs. Whatever nationality, race, or color you are, I can almost guarantee one of your ancestors had a dog. When humans first set foot on Australia some 50 kya (thousand years ago), and North America some 15 to 30 kya, they had dogs.
Here in North America, proof of this lies in an unlikely candidate, the Chihuahua. When Europeans began arriving here en masse, Dogs were already well established here. In fact it was the Native Americans work horse before they had work horses. Chihuahuas and few other dogs that remain to this day still contain remnants of these Native American dogs.
With the ease of DNA sequencing today, not only is our own story growing; the story of the dog is more complex than ever.
Our shared roots
When we first befriended them, us and dogs had a lot in common. We were both hunter-gatherers, Predators; Our brains and social networks put us at the top of the food chain. I like to think it all started when a mutual respect formed. These early “dogs” were likely still very wolf like, but as human settlements began to change, so did these “domesticated” wolves.
The world was changing and us humans had an idea; why not herd some of our prey and keep them close by, so we would always have a meat source available. How coincidental is it that both us and Canines love herding prey?
Wolf to Dog
With the domestication of our prey well on it’s way, humans were also developing another fantastic food source; Agriculture. This is where “dogs” started diverging drastically from their wolf ancestors.
With more substantial grains, fruit and veggies in hand, The human diet was amidst a drastic change all over the world but we didn’t leave our canine friends behind. So too did their diet change, so much so it’s the most marked difference between wolf and dog.
A dog that could eat human food was likely to stick around camp, They also likely lived longer and bred more than those who couldn’t. That’s a lot of selective pressure to become the dog that we all know and love. One that can lick our plates clean and pick through our garbage.
Their usefulness only continued to grow.
Hunting Dogs (hounds)
Guard Dogs
Loyalty (Royalty)
Ever heard of the band Three Dog Night? ‘Three dog night’ is a term from Australia for a night so cold it takes three dogs to keep you warm.