People and Dogs go way back

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It's been known for a long time that dogs are genetically wolves selected for temperament and are essentially wolf-puppies with arrested development (i.e. Wolf puppies bark, adults never do). Dogs are thought to be the first domesticated animal.

I've been reading lately that the evidence for people living with dogs goes back a lot farther than is assumed-- maybe as long ago as 175,000 years (as compared to the latest date for domesticated horses of 5,000 years). 175,000 years is about the oldest fossil evidence of archaic humans from a few sites in Africa and is so old there were other hominid species still around. That is about the same time frame as the so-called mitochrondeal Eve, long before any evidence of art or other abstract thinking, and before what most physical anthropologists believe was the development of complex, abstract language.

Dogs are thought to have had a complementary evolution with humans since the two have mutually complementary abilities and are both social creatures. People have better eyesight and have the ability to plan, while dogs have much better scent, hearing and night vision. It is thought that neither people nor dogs would be what they are today without having evolved together in a dependent relationship.
Very Happy Very interesting! I just watched a program about dogs, hosted by Martin Clunes (Doc Martin) on PBS. He focused on the way man has modified dog appearance and abilities through selective breeding. No OES in the program though! Rolling Eyes

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