Old dog, new tricks: Study IDs 9,400-year-old mutt

palmbeachpost ^ | Jan. 19, 2011 | CLARKE CANFIELD

[JoeProBono]

PORTLAND, Maine — Nearly 10,000 years ago, man's best friend provided protection and companionship — and an occasional meal.

That's what researchers are saying after finding a bone fragment from what they are calling the earliest confirmed domesticated dog in the Americas.

University of Maine graduate student Samuel Belknap III came across the fragment while analyzing a dried-out sample of human waste unearthed in southwest Texas in the 1970s. A carbon-dating test put the age of the bone at 9,400 years, and a DNA analysis confirmed it came from a dog — not a wolf, coyote or fox, Belknap said.

Because it was found deep inside a pile of human excrement and was the characteristic orange-brown color that bone turns when it has passed through the digestive tract, the fragment provides the earliest direct evidence that dogs — besides being used for company, security and hunting — were eaten by humans and may even have been bred as a food source, he said

[blam]

The Dixie Dingo

"The Dixie Dingo"

"The Native American Dog" "The American Dingo" " Southern Aboriginal Dog" "The Indian's Dog"

Still living Wild in the bottom land swamps and forests of the Southeastern United States.

Genetic (mitochondrial DNA) testing being performed at the University of South Carolina, College of Science and Mathematics, indicates that these dogs, related to the earliest domesticated dogs, are the remnant descendants of the feral pariah canids who came across the Bering land mass 8,000 to 11,000 years ago as hunting companions to the ancestors of the Native Americans.

[snip]

[muawiyah]

My father had a dog he kept "down on the farm". He was called "Old Red". He wasn't a mean dog but when I was a little guy he'd always kind of bully me just to let me know he was jealous of my father's attention.

He didn't bully other people.

He was tall enough to stand up under a wagon and scrape his back on the bottom.

This dog was pretty typical of all the wild dogs in Southern Indiana. They are happier if they can come and go from an area where people live ~ that's the old lurk around the village thing.

I've noticed over the years that these dogs are disappearing in that area, but African "silent" dogs are come in ~ people like the behavior apparently but don't care for the noises.

The African dogs are sneaky to my way of thinking and eventually they're going to run up a high biting tally and get themselves suppressed.

[muawiyah]

There are native dogs all over the place ~ most of them have a red or yellow coat. Many people own them and imagine they're just a mix of old world breeds ~ BUT THEY'RE NOT!

And people should be more careful with those dogs and just leave them out in the country where they can roam around.

Europeans did meat up with (and meet) native dogs. The Iroquois kept them near their villages OUTSIDE the palisades, and in early Fall they'd turn the deer loose in the corn for a couple of weeks to clear the fields and get fat. Then they'd herd the deer together and allow the dogs in to kill and eat them.

In the winter the Iroquois would dine on fresh dog meat all winter long.

To them the dog was a more convenient way of storing meat ~ and deer, with the dog, played the part of the white man's hogs that came in later.

Since wild dogs were essentially "game" and the young ones had a disconcerting habit of jumping up in your arms wagging their tails, I suspect the native dog populations didn't exactly prosper.

BUt, as I noted above, my father owned one. I know cousins who keep them around (out in the country), and as far as I know no one has ever gone for an AKC certification for any of them. But you'll know one when you see him.

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[Joe 6-pack]

WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

[muawiyah]

That’s one kind. There’s another that’s real popular that’s shorter and has a solid coat. It just kind of runs around hissing or coughing.

[martin_fierro]

lulz

[JoeProBono]

[The Comedian]

Am I the ONLY one who must discuss.........poop???

Yes.

Yes you are.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[mamelukesabre]

If that’s the way it went with indian dogs, you can bet you a$$ those dogs weren’t much good for anything. Their breeding wasn’t selected for any useful skill and likely there wasn’t any selective breeding at all. Probably about like trying to train a husky to fetch, only worse. No wonder the european breeds displaced them.

[The Comedian]

That's the highest accolade I've ever received from you.

I'll have to study that gag and try to understand why it was so exceptionally amusing.

Charts, graphs, and spreadsheets to follow...

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[Ditter]

Well, it wasn’t like...... poop...poop! It was over 9000 years old after all.

[martin_fierro]

An essay on Teh Lulz

Let us commence a journey into the much travelled topic of Teh Lulz. At one stage or another, every man woman or child will be faced with the issue of Teh Lulz. While it is becoming a hot topic for debate, Teh Lulz is not given the credit if deserves for inspiring many of the worlds famous painters. It is estimated that that Teh Lulz is thought about eight times every day by global commercial enterprises, many of whom fail to comprehend the full scope of Teh Lulz. Here begins my indepth analysis of the glourious subject of Teh Lulz.

Social Factors

Comparisons between Roman Society and Medieval Society give a clear picture of the importance of Teh Lulz to developments in social conduct. I will not insult the readers inteligence by explaining this obvious comparison any further. When Lance Bandaner said 'twelve times I've traversed the ocean of youthful ambition but society still collects my foot prints' [1] he saw clearly into the human heart. A society without Teh Lulz is like a society without knowledge, in that it irons out misconceptions from our consciousness.

Did I mention how lovely Teh Lulz is? Society is powered by peer pressure, one of the most powerful forces in the world. As long as peer pressure uses its power for good, Teh Lulz will have its place in society.

Economic Factors

Increasingly economic growth and innovation are being attributed to Teh Lulz. We will study the Custard-Not-Mustard model. Taking special care to highlight the role of Teh Lulz within the vast framework which this provides.

Market Value Of Gold
		Teh Lulz

How do we explain these clear trends? It goes with out saying that the market value of gold sings a very different tune. The financial press seems unable to make up its mind on these issues which unsettles investors.

Political Factors

Much of the writings of historians display the conquests of the most powerful nations over less powerful ones. Looking at the spectrum represented by a single political party can be reminiscent of comparing chalk and cheese.

Take a moment to consider the words of that most brilliant mind Odysseus Woodpecker 'A man must have his cake and eat it in order to justify his actions.' [2] Amazingly, he new nothing of Teh Lulz until he was well into his thirties. I feel strongly that if politicians spent less time thinking about Teh Lulz and put more effort into their family life, that we would have a very different country. The question which we must each ask ourselves is, will we allow Teh Lulz to win our vote?

Conclusion

To reiterate, Teh Lulz may not be the best thing since sliced bread, but it's still important. It establishes order, brought up a generation and never hides.

As a parting shot here are the words of super-star Wyclef J. Fox: 'You win some, you loose some, but Teh Lulz wins most often.' [3]

---

[1] Lance Bandaner - Adventurous Spirit - 1993 See-Saw Publishing

[2] Woodpecker - Serving The Greats - 1990 Palmerston House Publishing

[3] Your Teh Lulz - Issue 43 - Never Ever Publishing

Paper courtesy of The Essay Generator

[muawiyah]

Friend of mine had been the General Counsel for the Territory of Alaska. He had a big ol' Huskey. Thing was smart. Really, really nice dog, but big.

Naw, they don't fetch do they! But they can beg for giant pretzles.

The Indian dogs like those Carolina wild dogs pretty much live in wetlands or swamps. Best thing they can do is hang around your house and watch your stuff at night. Not a house dog!

[AnAmericanMother]

It's a dog's life. That dog looks SO unhappy.

At least my dog looks more cheerful, but she had a light load (it was a costume contest. She won.)

[momtothree]

If I was to see this dog, I would think wolf hybrid (maybe wolf x GSD). He is beautiful in a very “wild” sort of way.

[mamelukesabre]

It’s the weener dogs.

[The Comedian]

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[The Comedian]

It’s the weener dogs.

Isn't it always.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.