Aquila Children's Magazine AQUILA Magazine Best Bits | Page 88

Have you ever watched your family dog
snoozing the day away – twitching and
even barking in her sleep? Perhaps she is
dreaming of the ancient past, when her
ancestors had responsible jobs working
for their human families?
Today, dogs come in all shapes, colours
and sizes but they are all closely related to
the wild ancestral wolf Canis lupus.
Historians and scientists believe that
100,000 years ago wolves were following
human tribes, scavenging for leftover
food. Humans soon realised that, far from
being a pest, the wolf’s superior sense of
smell and hearing could actually lend the
tribe an advantage.
This was the start of a unique partnership
that benefitted both species. While
wolf-dogs guarded livestock and helped
with hunting, humans were granted time
to develop practical and technical skills in
other areas. Some people think that
human history may have progressed quite
differently if dogs and humans had never
joined forces.