Aquila Children's Magazine AQUILA Magazine Best Bits | Page 89

But early humans didn’t domesticate dogs
only to put them to work. Around 14,000
years ago, in Northern Europe, a little dog
was buried in a grave along with two
humans. This indicates that the dog was a
companion – it was loved and cared for as
a valued pet.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that the dog
became man’s best friend, after all, wolf
packs have similar social structures to
human families. Dogs are the only animals
that have developed the ability to read
human facial expressions as well as we
can. They can pick up on important clues
from our tone of voice and they read
human body language. Dogs appear to
understand many human emotions, but
we still know remarkably little about how,
why and when these animals first became
part of the human experience. Sniffing
out the whole truth is
going to take a lot
more digging.
– Dogs have super-charged senses,
their sense of smell is 10,000 times
better than ours. They can ‘smell’
and detect illnesses, sniff out drugs
and find people buried deep under
the rubble after earthquakes.
– Like other animals, dogs can hear
and feel the vibrations of
approaching storms long before we
can.
– Ancient Inca tribes even used dogs
as cosy hot water bottles on cold
nights.
– Heroic dogs have been trained to
work for us in wartime, but most
special are the ordinary mutts who
risk everything to save their human
from drowning or from burning
buildings.
– Apparently your best friend can
sense Earth’s magnetic field, say
researchers, who report that dogs
align themselves with the Earth’s
magnetic field before pooing,
preferring to face either north or
south before doing their business!
( I am going to check this on
Pepe’s next stroll ! )
Why not take a compass out on your
next dog walk? We’d love to know if
this is true.
(Just don’t forget to clean up
after your pooch! Ed )
Scientists all over the world are arguing
about when and where dogs were first
domesticated. Some think it happened in
Europe and others that it was in Central
Asia or China, sometime between 18,000
and 32,000 years ago. Gradually, and over
many generations, humans began to
select and breed dogs to enhance their
special talents. Some were bred to
retrieve waterfowl, others to herd and
guard livestock. Powerful mastiffs
protected cattle from large predators.
– Can dogs smile? Some dogs mimic
their owners’ smiles, pulling back
their lips in a toothy ‘welcome home’
grin. But if an unknown dog bares his
teeth or stares hard at you watch out!
It is probably afraid and might snap.