Historical notes on dogs

Dogs have been helping man with his herding, hunting, safety and companionship for the past 14,000 years. Canine history is a history of the friendship between us and our pet dog (Canis lupus familiaris). In times of famine this friendship would have been beneficial for the dogs diet and possible survival.

Early man sometimes used his new 'best friend' as camp meat to offset famine (In some current societies it is still a practice.) and in between he brought him into the cave to add his body heat to the group in cold weather. Early association between the two allowed the canine species to survive through famine and drought.

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. Most now agree that our four legged pet 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.

Canine history has been studied using mitochondrial DNA. This research tells us that wolves and dogs went different directions about 100,000 years ago. It is not clear if man had a hand 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. Archeological 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.

Danger Cave in Utah exhibits the oldest cases of dog burial in the United States at about 11,000 years. When science brings us more on the subject we will bring it to you.with his silver haired lady in Memphis, TN

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