The domestic dog, Canis familiaris, is one of the most diverse mammal species knows. This species can be found nearly everywhere, with separate breeds originating from every continent, except Antarctica. However, as widely distributed as this species is, little is known about its actual origin. Scientists have been able to track some lineages down through fossil records and genetic data. But it is undetermined how exactly old this species is, or even where this domestic dog may have started at. So, how is it that humans are not as familiar with “man’s best friend” as we are with many other species? Surely, there had to have been some record of when humans began to domesticate dogs, or other canids for that matter. It’s nearly impossible to do a whole day without witnessing a dog, whether it is on your commute to work and someone is walking their faithful companion, or it watching your favorite TV show and a commercial advertising the latest trend in dog food comes on. Constantly we are bombarded with images of a man and his dog. This species has arguably had one of the largest impacts on humans. But these loveable housemates of ours were not once what we now know them to be. Dogs have evolved immensely over time along-side humans.
Dogs can be looked at in a many of ways, some people fear them, see them only as dangerous and dirty. The canine reputation as being vicious is not a recent fear. However, nowadays you often hear of a child being attacked by a dog somewhere in media and it’s often blown out of proportion. “Recent levels of media attention given to dog attacks on people…may be out of proportion to the actual risk they pose to the average individual” (Serpell, 1995). It’s true that many people fear dogs, they are viewed...
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...cally similar to its ancestral lineage. It’s possible that we owe our own evolution to dogs. Humans were able to develop tools such as arrows and new hunting developments with the accompaniment of a canid companion by their side to aid in hunts. If a dog was not as easily genetically modified, would it be safe to say that they would still be our companions, our “best friend”. Could it be that dogs are merely tools of our own development, and we treasure the fact that they are so easily morphed? However, without any question, dogs are no longer the wild untamable wolf that they once were. Now, traits derived from the wild and wicked wolf lay dormant in our companion, the one that lies so peacefully at our feet. Although it’s not easily traceable as to when dogs became apparent in human lives, it’s safe to say that most humans are rather glad they, dogs, are here.
When the word “domestication” is used when talking about dogs, most people have the misconception that humans brought dogs into their homes on purpose, and that is was something they did consciously. However, after reading about Hare’s research it is easy to understand that this
Every year an estimated 4.5 million dog bites occur in the U.S. BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) is a law that suggests that certain breeds are more prone to aggression than others. By banning or restricting the breeds in question, it is believed to help reduce the number of attacks. BSL determines which breeds are dangerous using statistics. These statistics cannot be relied on for two reasons. One, there is no concrete method to determine a dog’s pedigree. Thus, a victim, animal control officer, or owner is trusted with identifying the dog through appearance. According to Scott and Fuller, authors of Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog, “It has been known for decades that the cross-bred offspring of purebred dogs of different breeds often bear little or no resemblance to either their sires or dams (1965).” Visual assessments are questionable. Two, population is not accounted for. Population is important, in that it provides context to percentages. Because a dog’s breed is impossible to pinpoint, we cannot provide numbers. BSL’s cause is rendered useless when we consider these points.
First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love,
Also, educating parents and grandparents etc, on animal/ children safety could greatly reduce the number of attacks on children. You should never leave a young child unattended with a dog, or any animal for that matter, its just not safe. Children that have been attacked by family dogs that have been around said child its whole life, tend to be the results of the child being left alone with the dog and not properly supervised, not nasty or mean dogs. Any dog could snap and turn on somebody, esp a child who say, doesn’t realize the dog is in pain and jumps on them etc. As long as dogs and childrens interactions are supervised many dangerous situations can be avoided.
Dogs are seen as an ‘evolutionary miracle’. This is because, over 100 years, they have the most breeds and changes than any other species. They have changed spectacularly from their ancestors the wolves; they domesticated themselves into dogs and they now carry many different traits. Wolves now have little use for us unlike dogs, for example, retrievers are bred to chase and then bring back
The ways in which we as humans represent our relationships with dogs are explored in Dog Love. Garber assumes on the role of a cultural critic through her book, commenting on the role and social value dog representations have in our society, as represented in various artifacts: novels, films, advertisements, etc. She believes that through dog stories we create the ideal human, assigning valued human characteristics to the canine protagonist. She states, “The dog becomes the repository of those model human properties that we have cynically ceased to find among humans” (Garber 15). In our society, we no longer turn to our fellow men and women for the embodiment of virtue; we instead look to “man’s best friend.”
Just as humans have a family tree, so do dogs. Most if not all dogs heritage connects in some way back to the wolf. Then why are dogs domesticated, why are they best friend to man? Any wild animal can be tamed eventually through out the generations and the Chukchi people had learned that trick long ago. They became best friend to the Siberian Husky until someone got in the way, Russia. Russia tried to take over the home of the Chukchi people, Northeaster Asia, but found that the climate was much more dangerous than they though. So instead they forced the Chukchi people to open trade with them. Unknowingly they spread many diseases to the Chukchi people that they had no immunity to, many Chukchi people died. The...
The dog is a unique beast. Loyal and affectionate, if somewhat bizarrely built, today’s dogs are a far cry from the wild wolves from which they emerged. Whether fluffy, naked, cock-eyed, or bow-legged, each dog is an ample prototype of its kind. The very idea that such a cooperative creature could spring forth from such a ruthless predator is astounding by itself. The fact that the multitude of breeds (340, according to the World Canine Organization (Melina, 2014)) could starburst forth from a single point begs investigation. How, indeed, did it come to be that there are so many different breeds of dog?
By any standard, dogs are extraordinary animals. They have been part of the human society for longer than any other domestic species. They exist in a great variety of different shapes sizes, color, and breed. They occupy a wide ecological niche that ranges from pampered pets, loyal service dogs, faithful servants, to feral scavengers. Even our attitudes towards dogs seem to oscillate between extremes. On the one hand, the dog is man's best friend. On the other, he is the despised and degraded outcast. No other breed does this run truer than it does for Pit Bulls.
Professional dog trainer and whisperer, Cesar Millan believes that, “We don’t have to kill them. We don’t have to ban them. We have to educate the human” (Kadumaan). Believe it or not, human negligence and naivety almost always relate to every pit bull attack. Whether people do not spend enough time with their dog or do not take the proper precautions when they know that their dog reacts negatively to strangers, dog attacks by any breed usually trace back to the owner. Of course the owner seldom takes responsibility, and rather than working with the dogs to improve their behavioral traits, they euthanize. In America, and throughout the world, we have seen this same kind of discrimination in other breeds time after time. In the 1800’s people considered bloodhounds a ferocious breed because of their involvement in tracking and taking down runaway slaves. In World War II people discriminated against german shepherds that often found themselves associated with the Nazis. Rottweilers, Dobermans, Mastiffs, and countless other breeds have all seen human scrutiny in the past. Studies show that 84% of pit bulls involved in fatal dog attacks grew up in neglecting or abusing households, and another 86% involved unneutered male dogs. Even the White House supports pit bulls and their advocates. In a 2013 statement issued by President Obama himself, he argued, “We
Throughout the world there are many different countries that contain diverse cultures, religions, and life styles. There is however certain aspects within these countries and cultures that acts as a common ground between one another. One dominant aspect is the existence of dogs within these cultures. Dogs are common throughout the world, either as a domestic pet, a protector on a farm, or an assistant for hunting; amongst others. Regardless of the reason for having a dog most people have either owned one for themselves or has known somebody who has owned one at some point in their life. Despite the relative normality of having a dog in your life in one way or another, the reasons for dogs coming into existence is not common knowledge among most people. Throughout a great portion of mankind’s history dogs have been an essential part of life. The truth is dogs were actually created in part by man. It was evolution from wolves in the form of natural and artificial selection that brought dogs into existence (Harris 3). This is the most modern and widely excepted theory at this time, however this was not always the case considering the theory of evolution in of itself is relatively new in our society. After evolution as a theory was accepted there were several other variations on the theory such as, the evolution being from jackals opposed to wolves, and artificial selection being the only form of evolution to have taken place. According to Jarret A Lobell and Eric A Powell of Archaeology magazine “The idea that dogs were domesticated from jackals was long ago discarded in favor of the notion that dogs descend from the gray wolf (2)”. As for the theory that artificial selection ...
“Mom! Mom! The dogs got Cody. The dogs got Cody” (Vancouver Sun, 2007). Just a few days after Christmas in 2004, these are the cries that awoke Sheri Fontaine. Fontaine raced from her bed into the living room to find her three-year old son, Cody Fontaine, savaged by the dogs that were staying temporarily in her house. Tragically, young Cody did not survive the attack. A young life taken, a mother’s life ruined. Sadly, this story is not as uncommon as one of violence against people, they exhibit highly stubborn characteristics that make them difficult to control, and such bans have proven to be extremely effective.
In the article by Dr. David A. Billmire, he shares his opinion on the dog breed and
The transition to the diet of the original dog as a result of beginning the relationship with humans could be attributed to the changes identified between the modern dog and original dog (wolf). The canids remain recovered in yet cave, in Belgium where Upper Paleolithic artifacts were discovered along with other object are considered to be domesticated dogs. The domestication of dog could have been driven by human need for help with herding, hunting, and early warning while the dog benefited from companionship and reliable source of food
I’ve always felt that animals are the purest spirits in the world. They don’t fake or hide their feelings, and they are the most loyal creatures on Earth and somehow we humans think we’re smarter. I chose this topic about the canine because, some of these canines risk their life’s to protect dog’s best friend.