by Morgan Johnson

Created on: November 11, 2008

Dogs have been a companion to man for so long it's impossible to say exactly how or when the partnership began. Some native mythos around the world even claim dogs were created at the same time as man to teach him and protect him.

Any guess is as good as any other theory. I like to think it was a decision made by one or more human hunters out trying to survive in a dangerous world.

The people of the Neolithic period faced not only harsh weather and scarcity of food. The also shared the same land and same prey as the largest, fiercest mammals ever to walk the planet.

Ice Age predators were never the size of famed thunder lizards (the dinosaurs), but they were more than a match more bands of non-technological humans. All too often people ended up part of an animal's diet. There are plenty of human skulls found around bear and tiger lairs.

Most of the encounters with wolves and wild dog packs were probably hostile. They fought over kills and carcasses. Humans had no advantage at that time. Only perceived strength settled the issue day to day. Somewhere along the line compassion took the place of belligerence.

Possible a human hunter teamed with a lone wolf, both too weak to survive on their own, they worked together.

Possibly a hunter found a group of canine pups stranded by the death of their parents. It might even be that the humans had killed the parents unaware of the presence of the puppies. Facing that critical choice, the humans decided not to eat the puppies but to raise and nurture them.

It probably wasn't long before primitive humans realized the benefits of having dogs in their family. Dogs had superior senses. They could detect threats long before any human. They had great stamina and were well able to travel with humans in their wanderings and on hunting trips.

Dogs are uniquely suited for living with humans. They are very social and prefer to live as a part of a group than live alone. They are designed to hunt as part of a cooperative group. The social order of the dog pack revolved around the order imposed by thr leaders; the Alpha Male.

The Alpha Male leads the hunt, picks the resting lairs and controls the security of the territory. The lead male and females always eat first from any kill and the other wait their turn in the pecking order. Only to top male breeds and the whole pack works to support and protect their young.

Substitute a human for the Alpha dog and you see how we fit into the dog's psyche. That's why dogs are normally protective of our children and our homes.

This is why dogs have succeeded over the ages. They have traveled to every corner of our planets as faithful companions. We have not always kept up our end of the partnership but fortunately for us, dogs are very forgiving.

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