Animal Pets and Friends Articles and Websites

Several millenia ago, man and an early ancestor of the modern dog formed a mutually beneficial partnership. This animal was, most likely, an unusually tame jackal, or perhaps an ailing wolf that had been driven away by the pack. These new companions protected humans against wilder animals and guarded sheep and goats. In return, they received food and a dwelling. As time passed, these early dogs became man's trusted companions.

In nearly all parts of the world traces of an indigenous dog family are found, the only exceptions being the West Indian Islands, Madagascar, the eastern islands of the Malayan Archipelago, New Zealand, and the Polynesian Islands, where there is no sign that any dog, wolf, or fox has existed as a true aboriginal animal.

In ancient Asian regions, as among the the Mongolians, dogs were wild creatures, prowling in packs like wolves. This is still the case in many Eastern cities. If we examine the records of the high civilizations of Assyria and Egypt, we begin to discover distinct varieties of the canine form.

One basic fact that makes it hard to believe that today's dogs all share a common ancestry is, simply, how different one breed is from another! Consider the St. Bernard, the Tan Terrier, the German Shepard, Siberian Husky, the Pomeranian and so on. It is perplexing to think how these breeds, differing vastly in size, appearance and temperament, could have one origin. The same, of course, could be said of horses. In both cases, breeders are familiar with the laws of selection and how easy it is to produce a variety in type and size.

In order properly to understand this question it is necessary first to consider the identity of structure in the wolf and the dog. This identity of structure may best be studied in a comparison of the osseous system, or skeletons, of the two animals, which so closely resemble each other that their transposition would not easily be detected.

A dog's spine has seven vertebrae in the neck, thirteen in the back, seven in the loins, three sacral vertebrae and twenty to twenty-two in the tail. Both the wolf and dog have thirteen pairs of ribs, nine true and four false. Both species have forty-two teeth. Each has five front and four hind toes. As far as their outward appearance goes, a general description of one would serve for the other in many cases.

Nor are their habits different. The wolf's natural voice is a loud howl, but when confined with dogs he will learn to bark. Although he is carnivorous, he will also eat vegetables, and when sickly he will nibble grass. In the chase, a pack of wolves will divide into parties, one following the trail of the quarry, the other attempting to intercept its retreat, exercising a considerable amount of strategy, a trait which is exhibited by many of our sporting dogs and terriers when hunting in teams.

Another common trait that canis familiaris and canis lupus share is the period of gestation, which is sixty-three days for both species. A wolf's litter usually contains three to nine cubs, which are blind for twenty-one days. After being suckled for two months, they are able to consume half-digested meat that has been disgorged for them by their dam or even sire.

The dogs and wolves native to almost all regions closely resemble each other in size, coloration, form and habit, a fact too widespread to be simply coincidental. An observer in 1829, Sir John Richardson, commented that the only difference he could see between the wolves of North America and the domestic dog of the Indians was the greater size and strength of the wolf.

One of the arguments against the lupine nature of the dog is that all domestic dogs bark, while wolves howl. This difficulty, however, is not evidence of anything; we know that wolf pups, wild dogs and jackals raised by bitches readily learn to bark. For their part, domestic dogs who run wild can forget the habit. We cannot, therefore, use this as a deciding argument regarding the origin of the dog.

Darwin's final hypothesis on this subject was that "it is highly probable that the domestic dogs of the world have descended from two good species of wolf (C. lupus and C. latrans), and from two or three other doubtful species of wolves namely, the European, Indian, and North African forms; from at least one or two South American canine species; from several races or species of jackal; and perhaps from one or more extinct species"; and that the blood of these, in some cases mingled together, flows in the veins of our domestic breeds.

Author's Resource:

Bob Evanston writes and researches on many topics pertaining to animals and pets. You can get more information on animal care and some useful resources on training your dog

Visit Animal Pets & Friends for more pet and animal articles.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5

Not yet Rated