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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. The great multitude of different breeds of the dog and the vast differences in their size, points, and general appearance are facts which make it difficult to believe that they could have had a common ancestry. One thinks of the difference between the Mastiff and the Japanese Spaniel, the Deerhound and the fashionable Pomeranian, the St. Bernard and the Miniature Black and Tan Terrier, and is perplexed in contemplating the possibility of their having descended from a common progenitor. Yet the disparity is no greater than that between the Shire horse and the Shetland pony, the Shorthorn and the Kerry cattle, or the Patagonian and the Pygmy; and all dog breeders know how easy it is to produce a variety in type and size by studied selection. If we want to compare dogs and wolves and, it would do well to look at the osseous systems, or skeletons of the two. These are actually quite similar, to the extent that their transposition could not be readily observed. 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. Yet another similarity between canis lupus and canis familiaris is the gestation period, which is sixty=three days for each. The wolf's litter usually has from three to nine cubs. These are blind for twenty-one days. After two months of being suckled, they are capable of eating half-digested flesh which their dam or even sire has disgorged for them. The native dogs of all regions approximate closely in size, coloration, form, and habit to the native wolf of those regions. Of this most important circumstance there are far too many instances to allow of its being looked upon as a mere coincidence. Sir John Richardson, writing in 1829, observed that the resemblance between the North American wolves and the domestic dog of the Indians is so great that the size and strength of the wolf seems to be the only difference. 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. We might consider Darwin's belief that domestic dogs descended from several species of wolf from places as diverse as Europe, India and North Africa, as well as several species of jackal, and possibly from one or more species now extinct. This suggestion that our modern dogs had such a diverse ancestry could be the truest explanation we will find.
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Bob Evanston writes and researches on many topics pertaining to animals and pets. You can get more information on pet care and some useful resources on guide to dog training Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.
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