The Canidae includes carnivorous mammals such as wolves, coyotes, and foxes thought to have evolved 7-10 million years ago. Now, more specifically, scientists have linked the domestic dog to Canis lupus, or the Gray Wolf. The certainty of this posit is due in large part to DNA research conducted by Dr. Robert K. Wayne, canine biologist and molecular geneticist at UCLA.
What Wayne actually did was to identify that of the four divisions of the Canidae family, the domestic dog was most closely linked, at the molecular level, to the one containing the Gray Wolf. Moreover, he proved that the DNA of the dog and the DNA of the Gray Wolf only differed by two tenths of one percent.
Man and Dog Through Time
While this work was empirical to be sure, it alone does not explain how the wolf became the loyal, dependable, and unquestionably agreeable family pet. The key to understanding this transformation is thought to lie somewhere in the societal organization of both parties. Undeniably, man and beast did many things the same way: both elected leaders, both hunted in packs, and both established order and rank within the society which could, upon successful challenge, be broken down.
Katharine M. Rogers points out these societal parallels and suggests why the wolf might be inclined to bond with man in her book, First Friend. She states: “The wolf found a pack that fulfilled its emotional and physical needs, with a wise and powerful pack leader who could offer it more effective care and protection than an alpha-wolf could."
And a scene from Rudyard Kipling’s fable, “The Cat That Walked by Himself,” illustrates well, albeit simply, what the beginnings of this bond may have looked like: A wild dog comes to a cave to find a woman cooking some meat. The wild dog asks the woman what smells so good, and she throws him a bone. After finishing off the bone, the dog eagerly asks for another, at which point the wise woman attempts to strike a deal - “Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, help my Man to hunt through the day and guard this Cave at night, and I will give you as many roast bones as you need.” In acknowledgment of the terms, the dog then enters the cave and lays his head on the woman’s lap.
The K-9 Relationship and Canine Loyalty
Of course, solidifying the relationship was a little more complex than that, and the BBC online suggests that the earliest signs of a lasting bond began about 12,000 years ago. Exact dates vary, but early examples of the relationship are everywhere, and a breed of canine called the Saluki, which appears on the ancient tombs of Egypt from around 2100 BC, is even thought to have been the dog mentioned in the Bible. Loyal to the end, and sometimes not by choice, this mummified dog was found royally entombed in the Valley of the Kings and illustrates how tight the bonds of the relationship actually were.
The ancient Greeks and Romans, too, fostered a love for the canine and were thought to have developed a number of breeds including the grayhound, mastiff, and bloodhound. Today, there are nearly 400 breeds recognized by the Federation Cynologique International, or the World Canine Organization, whose 83-member mission, according to their website, is to safeguard canine health and enhance relations between dogs and humans.
Dog Facts and Stats
Relations seem to be doing alright, though, at least according to The Humane Society of the United States online. According to a 2007-2008 poll, 74.8 million people owned dogs, and 39 percent of households owned at least one. Cats, by comparison, were in only 34 percent of households. Chalk another one up for man's best friend.
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