The Domestication of Cats and Dogs
Many people all over the world have cats or dogs as beloved pets. They all look and behave differently, and it is not uncommon to wonder where these animals come from. Many researchers and archeologists have developed theories about how cats and dogs became domesticated and for what purpose. The finding of ancient bones and genetic testing have allowed some insight into the history of the domesticated dog and cat. Though we know that these animals have been precious to humans for thousands of years, recent studies have called into question exactly how long they have been domesticated (Tarlach, 2016).
Dogs were the first animal to become domesticated, however, where, when, and how are an ongoing debate.
…show more content…
But with new date ranges emerging, what does this mean for how the bond between humans and dogs formed and for what purpose. Many theories exist with one being wolves domesticated themselves by following around humans. Another state that humans caught wolf cubs to keep as pets, gradually leading to domestication (Fessenden, 2015). Once domesticated, dogs served many purposes and were valuable. They may have served as guards, hunters, shepherds, pack animals, and sled pullers. According to Adam Boyko, a geneticist at Cornell University, “Dogs are motivatable to do the jobs humans want them to do, so people took them as they moved” (Tarlach, 2016). Researchers have found many indications that the human-dog relationship has been close throughout the past. The findings of human dog burials and ancient art shows the close relationship between humans and dogs over a period of time (Tarlach, …show more content…
Included in these samples were ancient Romanian cat remains, Egyptian cat mummies and modern African wildcats. This research concluded that domesticated felines come from two main lineages. The early ancestors of domesticated cats come from southwest Asia spanning to parts of Europe as early as 4400 B.C. Cats started to congregate around farming communities about 8,000 years ago, and fell into a mutually beneficial relationship with humans contributing to rodent control (Smith, 2017). This is believed by many to be the first encounter with cats. Humans allowed cats to stay in their communities and therefore paved their own domestication. The second lineage came from African cats who mostly inhabited Egypt. This lineage spread into the Mediterranean and throughout the Old World around 1500 B.C. The spread suggests that humans started carrying cats along land and sea trade routes to help with rodent control (Smith,
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
A wolf pack is, at its foundation, simply a family, with the parents (alphas) guiding the activities of the group. Hence, it is easy to believe that dogs are able to bond with human families, especially when the alphas are already parents. The parents view the dog as one of their children, one who remains dependent and will never leave or criticize them (Rogers 1), and in the same manner, the dog views the human parents as if they were his actual parents and as a result, loves and trusts them with his life gladly following them, not once questioning their decisions or actions. For these reasons, humans have found release in the company of dogs because dogs do not judge. By way of example, Sigmund Freud was notably a bad singer and as a result, never sang in public, however he often hummed an aria while petting his dog (Rogers 2). In the presence of dogs, our need to self-censor our words and actions vanishes (Rogers 2). Ultimately, dogs and human beings are able to form such strong emotional bonds through love and
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
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...
...tion, including their initial evolution, their domestication, and the roles they played in human society throughout the ages. It is a relatively new book being published in 2010. Darcy Morey, the author of this book is a zooarchaeologist and focuses his research on the relationship between dogs and humans throughout time. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. This book is based on the authors own research and also refers to the information gathered by many other scientists, all of which are listed in the reference section of the book. As mentioned this book contains the results of research from many scientists and is beneficial for learning both general and more scientific knowledge on the subject. I would recommend it to anybody who is conduction a research on the topic. This book was found using I-Share using the search term the domestication of dogs.
The narrator of the video proposed two hypotheses to explain this evolutionary diversification. The “adoption hypothesis” suggests that our human ancestors thousands of years ago came across an irresistible wolf pup, fell in love with it, and brought it home to raise as a pet. Through constant battles with the predatory instincts of wolves, our ancestors were able to artificially select for the tamest animal and eventually domesticate the wolves, which became the dogs.
Ever since animals have been domesticated, they have been very instrumental in providing humans with a plethora of benefits in multiple areas such as agriculture, medicine, and industry (Transgenic Animals). Today, animals and their products are used for almost everything from food to clothing to products we use on an everyday basis. Some argue that animals should not be used as much as they are being utilized; however the use of domesticated animals propelled humans from a nomadic species to a more civilized people. The domestication of animals was a keynote of the beginning of agriculture as a whole, which lead to industrialization and progression as human beings. Domesticated animals play a foremost role in our society today as well as in the future.
Interestingly, a work on the nature of dogs has shed some insight into this idea of Stiner's - that the predatory competitors of humans rather than human ancestors heavily influenced humans in their hunting and lifestyle habits. It has been debated for some time how dogs became domesticated animals, how and from where they evolved, and how they helped humans to evolve. In a New York Times article by Nicholas Wade ("From Wolf to Dog, Yes, but When?"), Wade convincingly argues that perhaps dogs were never domesticated by humans, but rather domesticated themselves as a survival skill.
Now let's think about when an animal is truly considered domesticated. There is no concrete definition for domestication due to the fact that domestication is a continuous transition, attributes differ by species as well as genes and environment that interact to produce selectable characters that may vary with circumstance. However there is an interconnective and characteristic suite of modifiable traits involving physiology, morphology and behavior that is often associated with domesticated animals. Critically all domesticated animals manifest a remarkable tolerance of proximity to, or even an outright lack of fear for humans. Domestication behaviorally is not a single trait but a suite of traits so praising elements affecting: mood, emotion, agonistic and affiliative behavior, and social communication that is all modified in some way. It is important to understand the distinction between taming and domestication. Taming is conditioned behavioral modifications of an individual, whereas domestication is permanent genetic modification of a bred lineage that leads to, among other, a heritable predisposition toward human association. Trade marks of tameness is a decrease in flight behavior and in increase in social
Later on they were bred as companion animals. The different variations of domesticated dog will be discussed later. The down fall of artificial selection is that it decreases variation in a species. Pure bred dog are highly susceptible to many different disorders and disease because of the lack of variation in their genotype. With these two processes, today we have friendly canine
Dogs may be kept or tolerated for as social companions or pets, hunting, herding livestock, guarding and as a source of food. Trained dogs have continued to offer specialized tasks for instance in search-and-rescue services, assisting physically challenged people in their day to day life, detection of explosive devices such as bombs and detection of drugs through sniffing.
Domestication of the common horse is believed to have started around 4000 BC, becoming common during the early 3000 BC (Wilson,. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore).
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
“A dog is a man’s best friend” goes much deeper than the phrase might initially imply. Recently many medical journals have begun to identify with the many and varied benefits of pet ownership. Men have always relied upon animals for work, transportation, and survival. As times have changed, man has begun to appreciate a different bond with animals. Gone are the days of animals running free outside around the homestead, for now animals are allowed inside and are considered by many to be an integral part of our daily lives! Medical studies have found that animals have a much greater intelligence level than originally thought. Through proper training and experience, animals are not only household pets, but also are becoming an accepted form of medical treatment.
“Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” ― Colette. Humans have shared a unique relationship with animals since ancient times, and today, that same love affair continues. Pet ownership continues to be on the rise and more people are jumping on the pet bandwagon. What is so special about the human-animal connection and why is it so important? Besides providing tremendous companionship, having a pet reaps incredible health and psychological benefits. The advantages of having an animal are endless. Everyone should have a pet, and those who don’t are missing out. Pets make us happy. Pets make us healthy. Pets are good for us.