Dogs

Information about the domestic dog:

Today’s dog can trace it’s origins to the gray wolf, which over the centuries had been domesticated by humans for help in hunting, herding, protection and companionship. It is believed the dog is the first animal to be domesticated, which began perhaps as far back as 15,000 years ago. Once the wolf had been domesticated into the dog, human realized that they could selectively breed the animal resulting in specific physical traits, resulting in the unbelievable diversity of dog breeds we see today.

The largest dog breed is the Irish Wolfhound, and the smallest is the Chihuahua. The most intelligent breed is believed to be the Border Collie. As the world has changed, the original use of dogs – for protection, aid in hunting and herding – has changed to be more focused on companionship, aid with law enforcement, care of handicapped individuals and companionship. Dogs have eyesight that is below that of humans, but their sense of smell far exceeds ours, which of course is why they are so often used to track scents and locate people.

One reason dogs relate so well to humans is that they have evolved to read our faces, and react to our expressions. They will also follow our gaze to objects and look to humans for guidance and assistance.