Origins of Dogs Essay Example for Free

Origins of Dogs Essay Humans and dogs have constantly shared exceptionally strong social affections, a dependency relationship that is not normally observed in other human-animal relationships. Humans and dogs equally preferred to put their fears from each other aside in order to live reciprocally. Dogs are significant part of human history, seeing that throughout times dogs are without a doubt wonderful companions and great friends. People play with dogs, keep them as a pet and even consider them their best friend. Today, dogs come in different shapes and sizes, with distinct attributes that separate them from every other animal. But are humans really familiar with anything regarding the history of dogs or where and when did their well-known friendship started? There are several theories on the subject; and it is rather difficult to affirm who are the forerunners of the modern day dog perceptions. Beginnings of Domestication Evidences have revealed that man and dogs have survived together since prehistoric period. It is generally acknowledged that the domestication of dogs started more than 15,000 years ago. It is believed that when primitive man evolved from gathering to hunting for food, dog and man began the symbiotic relationship of assisting each other. Moreover, between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago, dogs became the guardians for the several recently domesticated animals of men. The breeding and crossbreeding started when men started to confer greater importance to certain characteristics and features in dogs. As a consequence, throughout the time of Egypt’s development in 1570 B. C. a range of diverse types of dogs became apparent. From that time, it was not long before dogs were being bred all over the world. In the history of dogs the Greeks, the Europeans, the Romans, and even the natives of the Far East were training dogs for a variety of activities including, hunting, sporting, fighting, and prize possessions. Origins of Dogs Archaeology has sited the earliest acknowledged domestication at probably 30,000 BC in Belgium and with certainty at 7,000 BC. Other information suggests that dogs were originally domesticated in East Asia, particularly within China some 15,000 years ago. In several archeological digs, however, canine relics have been discovered which could astonishingly be the forerunners of the modern day dog, although there are still a number of significant disparities between them. Accordingly, many analyze theorizes that modern day dogs are a result of parallel evolution, in which some species come from a considerably smaller canid and related to the dingo scientifically known as Canis familiaris nostrazewi, and other from a very large animal similar to some primitive Molosos and more related to the wolf scientifically known as the Canis familiaris puitiantini (See FIDOS Dog Health Training Encyclopedia). While some scientists thought that nearly all canine breeds originated from the crossbreeds of the small primeval dogs with diverse canid breeds, such as coyotes or golden jackal, animal DNA research studies confirm that dog gradually evolved from wolves after humans started selectively breeding wolves some 15,000 years ago, and nearly all scientists agree on the aforesaid findings. The DNA string coming from three interrelated groups revealed a common source from a particular gene pool, and because the majority of genetic variation was discovered in dogs that originated from East Asia, scientist concluded that this part of the world is the most possible origin of the species. It appears that World gray wolves, otherwise known as the New World dogs traveled with humans who arrived at North America across the Bering Strait several thousand of years ago. Scientist made use of DNA fingerprinting methods in a study to confirm that New World dogs were not descendants from wolves in the Americas. They discovered that these dogs were indeed descendants from Europe and Asia’s wolves. Moreover, based on evaluations of dogs from places as remote as Alaska and Peru, researchers theorized that primitive and modern day dogs around the world hailed from Old World gray wolves. Unfortunately, these dogs are no longer present in modern day dogs as European colonists systematically eradicated their population. It is already settled in several researches that dogs evolved from wolves; however, latest records confirm that the origin of dogs goes back to hunter-gather societies; therefore, dating earlier than what is commonly believed. Due to archaeological records, a number of scientists believe that domestic dogs dates back to15,000 years; however, the latest molecular genetic techniques performed by UCLA scientists and colleagues revealed that the origin of dog is much older. As a result of the extrapolation involved in the computations and the extent of genetic diversity they found in dogs, they believe that the earliest dog dates back 60,000 years or possibly over 100,000 years. Conclusion When observing the habits and behavior of a dog, the likenesses it has with the wolf are more than evident. In addition to the fact that the wolf and dog are somewhat similar not just the physical viewpoint, but as well as the character aspect, scientists have also found exceptional information to prove that the dog and wolf are indeed related. Using latest genetic researches, together with several controversial and fascinating works revealed that the wolf is the only ancestor of the dog, and its origins are primitive. This is why many believe that domesticated wolves were the earliest to live together with man and the dog and every other breeds existing at present are considered as the entire creation of man. Reference See FIDOS Dog Health Training Encyclopedia. (n. d. ). Where did Dogs come from. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from http://www. seefido. com/html/the_dog_s_origins. htm