Essay Sample on History of Dogs

Introduction

Dogs have been living with virtually every community since the beginning of human memory. Some myths especially those of the Native Americans have however been observed to take the link between dogs and humans back in time. On the other hand, it has been depicted that dogs were present in America before the European colonists arrived. Their origin and fate are nevertheless still fundamentally indefinite. Also, hunting is an activity that has been responsible for the development of numerous breeds of dogs. They were used in the past to guard people and even work together with other domesticated animals that had been kept by man at that time. Moreover, breeds were also developed to assist people in other activities like being companions, for guidance and rescue. Several theories have been advanced concerning the history of dogs. However, it is most apparent that the dog came from the wolf and later became domesticated. The research paper will analyze the history of dogs.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

In the past, it has been depicted that the Creator God of the Chahto people of California went with his dogs round as he was creating humans and the world. He would regularly talk to it, and it thus acted as a companion. The Chahtos at that time actually could not imagine a person going around without a dog. On the other hand, the Creator God of the Jicarilla initially created a dog which then later asked for a companion. As such, the god created the first man and pronounced him as "Pretty good." The dog later referred to his as "wonderful." When the man moved, the dog did the same and would jump on him and run off a little just like the way dogs currently behave when they love a person. Human beings have thus relied on dogs for more than ten thousand years to assist them in various activities such as herding their flock, hunting and guarding their homes. At this time, the social primate and social carnivore have then developed the cordial responsive links. The dog became a member of the human family and humans felt a more close association with the dog as compared to any other animal (Rogers 1).

In another context, dogs have been thought to be a descendant of the gray wolf. The initial signs of associations between wolves and man have been dated back to ten or fifteen thousand years ago. However, it is not definite as to whether man approached the wolf or it was the other way round. Regardless, both of them benefitted from the new situation. While wolves were used to hunt, watching after livestock and warning against enemies, man would, in turn, ensure that they were fed. Additionally, the friendly nature of wolves made it easier for them to mingle with humans. They also accepted man as their leader making it easier for them to cohabit. On the other hand, during the Middle Ages, people started viewing dogs as status symbols. They gave people an absolute distinction, and the number of dog breeds also began to intensify vastly. Dogs then began to be bred for length, size, face, color and behavior which is still happening in the current world (Goodman and Karlsson 28).

Genetic studies have indicated that modern-day tamed dogs originated in the Middle East, China, and Eastern Europe. Gray wolves have been pointed out to have been domesticated by people in western Eurasia. People living in the East were also observed to be breeding wolves during that time as well. On the other hand, scientists consider that wolves were initially enticed to human camps looking for food that had been left. However, over time, some of them started wandering with the itinerant humans, and a kind of ordinary selection for taming took place. Scientific proof has even been developed that supports the bond between dogs and humans. There is an emotional bond that forms when individuals stare into each other's eyes, and they discharge a hormone referred to as oxytocin. A study conducted by Nagasawa established that the same hormone is usually released when people and dogs stare at each other's eyes (Jacobson).

Dogs have been viewed to have evolved from wolves due to specific reasons. One of this is climate change and probably the search for meat sources by wolves making them attracted to human camps for scraps. As such, this was the beginning of the transition from being wild to domesticated and dogs have thus become descendants of wolves. Evidence has been shown of dogs being treated with greater respect and affection ever since the transition took place. For instance, during the late-period, the Palaeolithic tomb in northern Israel showed an emotive sight. A man was buried with his dog, and his hand rested on the animal's shoulder. As such, it showed an affectionate bond between man and the dog (Magrane). Thus, the evolution of dogs from wolves is apparent due to their transition from being wild to domesticated and this has made them descendants of wolves as well.

New scientific evidence has been presented concerning the history of dogs. However, one view has remained to be held as factual concerning their history. The dog was purportedly derived from a group of self-taming of rubbish-dump grazing and young wolves during the Mesolithic Age. During this time, the lineages beginning at the Near East or Southeast Asia forsook their big-game hunting traveling ways for the search of a more different local food base that entailed nuts and grains and more aquatic life as well. The only certainty that was left by the autumn of 2010 was the identification of the grey wolf as the wild ancestor of the dog and the two were closer genetically than other human races (Derr).

The dog has remained dating from close to thirty thousand years ago in Belgium, six thousand in Ukraine and twenty-seven thousand in the Czech Republic. The evidence decisively established Europe as the continent that had the oldest dogs despite no expert believing that dogs originated from there and even setting the dog as hunting and gathering creation of people who were on the move. Gradually, sophisticated genetic analyses have suggested that few mutations with large morphological impacts that is, dwarfed legs, reduced size and snouts that have been punched in, for instance, account for physiological and interactive modifications between the wolf and dog (Goodman and Karlsson 27).

Regardless of evidence that the little Middle Eastern wolves might operate as foundation stock for the dog, the most refined and thorough genetic survey to date failed to locate a point in place where the revolution happened. Somewhat, it appears that numerous types of dogs were consolidated from the interaction of Middle Eastern dog wolves with the ones that had been derived from other wolves. On the other hand, the notion of the dog's origin is more complicated due to the link of wolves with hominins and especially Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis who headed the arrival of the human species among the Pleistocene hunters. The question, in this case, is whether they had socialized wolves and dog wolves. It has been depicted that even though they had, their animals did not figure in the advancement of the dog in human society. However, the hominins are still relevant since they were packed members of the Guild of Carnivores, the big hunters who fed on the migrating herds of horse and reindeer (Derr).

The use of the terms socialized instead of tamed wolves is due to the emphasis that the animals were active participants in the entire process and that their conduct and modification to humans was beyond the simple aspect of 'taming.' In scenarios where socialized wolves existed in adequate numbers to form reproducing groups in human camps, their offspring have been referred to as dogwolves which have been viewed as more accurate than wolfdogs. The dogwolves, in this case, are wolves that are genetically and behaviorally dogs. The aspect has been pointed out to be true since their genetic outline is closely aligned with the dog than a wolf. Also, it is because they reproduce and live in human society watching over their wild cousins. However, these dogs do not appear in the fossil record with the physiological changes that have been considered essential by archeologists when referring to an animal as domesticated. Moreover, the consideration entails a general reduction in energy and magnitude as well as the expansion of the nose that forced the teeth to troop before they became smaller (Rogers 6). Therefore, dogwolves have been shown to have been behaviorally and genetically dogs that were initially wolves.

Based on the above presentation, it can be depicted that the dog is inherent in the wolf and dog lover in all human beings, which is members of the human genus which makes the emergence of the evolution of the blood and flesh dog foreseeable. Principally, among the larger Pleistocene wolves population and humans were people who by the quality of great interest or cordiality became best friends and neighbors after they met while on the move for different things such as food. The connection was quite strong and among the ones that continued to grow and prosper (Derr).

The dog is further viewed as a sociocultural and biological creation that has affected its human companion although to a less emotional and physical degree. The wolves and people who related tens of thousands of years ago could not have anticipated the various divergent paths that they have followed and especially what they have become recently. They took up the role of traveling together and never stopped, an aspect that is still observed up to date. The history of dogs thus relates to the relationship they developed with humans since time immemorial. In this case, they were referred to as wolves, and they both benefitted from the association in diverse ways (Derr). In another context, the dog has been depicted as being an associate of the canines that forms a portion of the wolf-like canids which is the most extensively ample earthly carnivore. Besides, the gray wolf has been identified as the adjoining existing relation of the dog, and no substantiation has been presented of another canine that contributes to its genetic lineage (Goodman and Karlsson 28). As such, the link between the wolf and dog is quite apparent in this case concerning the way they related with human beings and their origin as well.

Conclusion

The paper has explored the history of dogs, and most of the evidence presented has shown that it evolved from the wolf. Among the larger Pleistocene wolves, population and humans are people who became best friends and neighbors after meeting while searching for things such as food. Also, the dog has been considered a biological and sociocultural creation that has had an impact on its human companion although to a less physical and emotional degree. Furthermore, people and wolves related tens of thousands of years ago and could not have predicted the several divergent paths they have followed and especially what they have recently become. On the other hand, the association between wolves and hominins has made the notion of the dog's origin to be more complicated. Besides, the dog being a member of the canine that forms a part of the wolf-like canids, the most extensively ample earthly carnivore is a clear indication of its antiquity. It can thus be purported that the dog dates back to wolves and especially the gray wolf which has been identified as the closest living relative of the dog. Besides, no other evidence has been presented of another canine that contributes to its genetic lineage.

Works cited

Derr, Mark. How the Dog Became the Dog. New York: Gerald Duckworth & Co, 2012.

Goodman, Linda, and Elinor K. Karlsson. "America's lost dogs." Science 361.6397 (2018): 27-28.

Jacobson, Lindsey. "The History Of Dogs As Pets". ABC News, 2016, https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/history-dogs-pets/story?id=41671149. Accessed 2 Dec 2018.Magrane, Pad...