A history of dogs

Canine history is a history of the friendship between us and our pet dog (Canis lupus familiaris). That friendship stems from us needing help with our herding, hunting and safety.

In times of famine it would also have been beneficial for the dog’s diet and possible survival.

Early man also used him to supplement his own diet and even may have raised him for ‘camp meat’. AT first they were probably camp meat but later would be raised as delicacy. In some current societies it is still a practice.

It is also fair to conjecture man brought his new subject into the cave as a source of warmth on cold nights and this may very well have led to ‘companionship’ being added to the list of ‘pluses’ garnered from the relationship.

Scientists have argued for many years about the evolution and history of the domestic dog. Concensus in the field is that our domestic dog is a direct descendant of the Grey Wolf. DNA research conducted by Dr. Robert K. Wayne, canid biologist and molecular geneticist of UCLA indicates that dogs are closer to the Grey Wolf (Canis Lupus) than previously suspected.

In fact, due in large part to Dr. Robert K. Wayne’s genetic research, the authors of the “Mammal Species of the World” the internationally accepted reference source on mammal species, reclassified the dog in 1993 from Canis Familiaris to Canis Lupus No one knows for sure when this all started.

Mitochondrial DNA comes from the Paternal side of the family and that is the way Canines have been studied. This research tells us that wolves and dogs went different directions about 100,000 years ago. Existing history does not tell us if man was involved in this or not.

What research also tells us is that our total canine population of today is descended from three females in the China area some 15,000 years ago.

Existing science does not give us the luxury today of determining which leg of the research is correct or if they will someday merge. Unfortunately available history does not go back that far.

Research at this point does not tell us what happened to Canis Lupus Familiaris between the parting from the wolves 100,000 years ago and the parentage established from the three bitches 85,000 years later.

There’s a burial site in Germany called Bonn-Oberkassel which has joint human and dog burials dated to 14,000 years ago. China registers the earliest domestication between 7000-5800 BC.

In Utah’s Danger Cave we find the oldest cases of dog burial which goes back about 11,000 years. Someday there will be more information on this subject and it will be my pleasure to bring it to you. There are plenty of resources available to help with drug rehab, as well as legal information if you need to find out about these topics.

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