Opinion: We Didn’t Domesticate Dogs. They Domesticated Us.

National Geographic News ^ | March 3, 2013 | Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

[The Cajun]

The best life would include a cat on my lap, and a dog at my side.

A dog will always be by your side, they're suck ups.
A cat will be on your lap when they decide they want too, at least the 5 we have.
However, pop open a can of tuna and you will be mugged :)

[dfwgator]

Yep, anytime I couldn’t find my cat...I’d just turn on the electric can opener and within five seconds, there she was.

[Josephat]

God made dogs to keep us company and I thank him everyday.

[cripplecreek]

The Duke University Canine Cognition Center has uncovered, or rather, re-covered some amazing things about dogs and their ability to "get" us. Things even other higher primates cannot do. We are truly meant to be together.

Yeah I read that as well. Dogs have the ability to think ahead to how we will react to certain things and act accordingly. I know dogs have a certain ability to calculate vectors. If I call my dogs while I'm walking they won't turn directly to me, they'll calculate where I'll be and head for an intersect point. If my dog sees me dragging the hose toward the garden, he'll run and meet me at the sprinkler that I leave in the garden.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks nickcarraway. Dogs Make Us Human [2002] Experts: Dogs originated in ancient Asia [2004, #37 from 2005] An Australian study claims mankind couldn't have conquered the globe without the dog. Researchers say the domestication of the wolf led to the hunting of bigger game and even the development of art. They claim the dog was one of a few key forces which led to modern humans and therefore changed the world forever. Dr Paul Tacon, of the Australian Museum in Sydney, and bio-archaeology consultant Dr Colin Pardoe, say fossil and DNA evidence both point to dog domestication over 100,000 years ago. [Study acclaims dog's role in development of mankind | Tuesday, March 26th, 2002] Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[The Cajun]

Had to put double magnets on one of the cabinet doors where we keep the can goods.
Our really bright one, Philip, figured out that's where the tuna cans are kept.
Would open the door with his paw and start rolling cans out around the kitchen.
Told my wife that one day he was going to figure out how to use the can opener, LOL.

[central_va]

Seems to me if a bunch of Cro Magnons are sitting around the fire and one of suggests hunting a sabre tooth tiger, that fellow is going to get a pretty hard time from his fellow magnons.

[SunkenCiv]

“Ya never know, maybe they left an open one in here...”

-or, more likely-

“I love them, but they sure are difficult to train, see if they take this hint.”

[SunkenCiv]

Or, as the sabretooths referred to them, “filet magnon”.

[skr]

Seems far more likely that some cute wolf cubs were found, especially after people killed the adults. Never underestimate the power of babies of any species.

[ArmstedFragg]

I recognized the add immediately, but it’s not important. Besides, a hundred years from now, what the heck difference will it make?

In 62, I knew the entire first volume by heart. It produced so much controversy that Capitol delayed the plans for a part 2 for many, many years. One of our local DJ’s played it frequently, was met by an angry mob as he left work, and had to lock himself in the station until the police could get there.

Those who thought it was “making fun of our history” didn’t realize that one of Stan’s points was, “what would have happened if the founding fathers had been like people are today”? He devoted a considerable effort to historical accuracy. I keep running across factoids in history books that I recognize from “modestly presents”.

[CrazyIvan]

“God made dogs to keep us company and I thank him everyday.”

The 100lb+ Rot/lab gentle giant rescue dog snoring by desk as I type this agrees.

[count-your-change]

What “really” happened: Wolves saw humans hunting and decided it would be better to let humans take all the risk hunting and all the wolves had to do was look up with big sad eyes and wag their tails to get a meal.

All this and a warm fire too!

(this is from a study of a dog whose only virtue was that he wasn’t twins)

[SunkenCiv]

This one has a similar idea — and also demonstrates what happens when I removed the term “evolution” from the excerpt in order not to stir up anyone. Didn’t work, some people are just stirred up all the time, regardless.

Animal Connection: New Hypothesis for Human Evolution and Human Nature
ScienceDaily | July 20, 2010 | adapted from Penn State material written by Kevin Stacey
Posted on 07/23/2010 3:11:21 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2557954/posts

[Flick Lives]

The Duke University Canine Cognition Center has uncovered, or rather, re-covered some amazing things about dogs and their ability to "get" us.

The whole concept of pointing at an object and having the dog understand to look in the direction one is pointing is amazing. It involves some very abstract thinking; perceiving another point of view, imagining straight lines, indirection. With most animals if you point, at best they simply stare at your finger.

[RedStateRocker]

Still going on.
This human gets up in the morning walks the dog, shaves, showers, goes to work, comes home, fixes dinner walks dog again...
The dog (American Bulldog, lucy), lies on heated pad, or chews her toys, or goes inside and outside via the dog door, plays with the cat until human comes home. Who is really the dominant species?

Dogs are smart enough to know a good gig when they have one.

[SunkenCiv]

• Cats' Family Tree Rooted In Fertile Crescent, Study Confirms
• Scientists believe cats 'sort of domesticated themselves'

[blam]

"Or, as the sabretooths referred to them, “filet magnon”."

LOL.

[blam]

"Or, as the sabretooths referred to them, “filet magnon”."

LOL.

[DennisR]

How? It doesn’t matter...the National Geographics authors said it was so. So it must be. It does not matter that it is illogical.