Do Animals Need Friends?

The dog, like its human counterpart, was developed over thousands of years by different strains. The modern dog is often referred to as a domesticated ancestor of the wild cat, marked by a straight, upturned tail. The original dog derived from a remote, extinct, wolf-like wolf, and today’s modern greyhound are the closest living relative of this extinct breed. Domesticated dogs have lived for over 100 years, starting with the Neolithic age, which is when humans started building houses. These domestic dogs became useful members of farming communities as they helped farmers to tend to their flocks of sheep.

The dog evolved as we’ve come to know them today. Early hunters used dogs to flush the local foxes and to herd sheep. The first dogs helped man to hunt and trapped other animals. The domestic dog played an important role in early civilization, helping man to hunt, trap, and gather food, which in turn enabled early man to survive.

The use of dogs to hunt and trap prey gave rise to the hunting dog, which became synonymous with the first mass production breeds of dogs in America during the mid-nineteenth century. Modern day hunters and farmers still use dogs to catch birds, fish, rodents, and insects. In fact, it is estimated that millions of wild animals are killed annually in the United States because they are trapped, poisoned, or killed from the side of highways. Among these common farm animals are lions, leopards, hyenas, deer, monkeys, and even elephants. Deer and elephants are frequently killed for trophies, although the more dangerous mammals are not.

Dogs have also become domesticated not only for use by humans, but for use by wild canids. Examples include African Grey parrots and Australian devils. Many Non-domestic canids such as Asian raccoons have been domesticated for the sport of dog agility. Domesticated dogs were used to track and trap prey, while wild animals were utilized for their meat. Dogs were even used as gliders during the ancient Egyptian civilization. Today, some breeds of dogs are used in hunting activities.

Wolves are a special case where dogs have been domesticated for the mutual benefit of both the species and the canine owners. Wolves live in different parts of Europe and Asia, but they are most commonly seen in Germany, Switzerland, and England. For centuries, the German and Swedish Red wolves were the only animal that was allowed to live alongside humans, although nowadays there are some registrations of brown bear dogs.

It seems that dogs are really benefiting from all of the attention that humans give them. They help people keep track of each other and guard the boundaries of their territory. They help people get rid of wild animals like deer, making the environment safer for everyone. They are also helpful in scouting for food and tracking down intruders. Without dogs, humans would have to do everything on their own. Wolves even serve as guide dogs for blind persons or those that cannot walk on their own.