A Real Short History of the Dog

Dogs were domesticated 16,000 years ago in Siberia by hunter-gatherers.

Dogs descended from wolves, and like wolves, dogs were excellent hunters and scavengers. It is argued that wolves hung around human campsites for scraps, enjoying the evolutionary advantage of following big-game hunting humans.

As time went on, wolf cubs were adopted into tribal households as pets where it was discovered that the animals could be trained for various purposes.

They could pull and hunt, and they were warm and cuddly.

They could even be killed for meat when times were tough.

At one point, dogs began to bark (wolves rarely bark) and thus certain breeds were selected and bred for invaluable tasks such as warning and guarding their owners of strangers and intruders.

Little wonder that once the dog was “invented,” it spread across the world.

While dogs were great assets for hunter-gatherers, they were even greater assets for stationary settlers.

In these sedentary societies there were more things to be protected, and so the dog was put to work.

Sedentary life saw the emergence of differences in property and wealth owned by different members of society. Each member was basically a family, separate households, but with neighbouring tribes.

When faced with the threat of theft or destruction of their property by others, dogs proved invaluable.

Especially since, as a biological matter, dogs attach themselves to individual “masters” rather than to people in general.

No doubt, man’s personality, his individualism, was shaped by the lone wolf.

The dog, man’s best friend since hunter-gatherer times, we salute you.