Where Did Dogs Come From?

Chauvet cave in the Ardeche valley of southern France is renown for wall art dating back to 30,000 B.C.E. Often overlooked by the world at large and overshadowed by the spectacular paintings of animals of the day, is a track of footprints on the cave floor. Archaeologists have dated the tracks back some 26,000 years, making them a prime candidate for the oldest human footprints in Europe.

The footprints were made by a boy about nine years old. Trailing along side the boy's steps are the prints of a largish canine judged to be about midway between a wolf and a dog.

DNA evidence strongly suggests that today's dogs evolved from several various species of wolves once populating Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Not surprising given the rise of the first human civilizations in the Fertile Crescent region of present-day Iraq and Iran. However, DNA and archaeological evidence indicate proto-dog also originated in China. It is highly likely that several lines of proto-dogs evolved from various species of wolves, jackals and other wild canids at numerous geographical sites and at various times.

Artist impression of a Mesolithic Village
source: bettercaninehealth.org.uk

One notable exception is North America's timber wolf. Scientists have not found any evidence of any kind that timber wolves evolved an American dog species.

These observations seemingly point to one inevitable conclusion: modern humans and modern dogs evolved together, forming the oldest human-companion animal bond known to man. Seems we did not domesticate the dog so much as dog and man cooperatively domesticated one another.

Little wonder that we love our dog companions so!