There is some strong evidence of Man and Dog working closely together going back at least 30k years, and even some evidence going back 100k years--far longer than for any other domesticated animal.
There is also evidence that the long association of Man and Dog has changed both species. By hunting together, each evolved to emphasize their strengths in the partnership, and lost things they no longer needed. There is a good discussion of this in Temple Grandin's "Animals in Translation".
Some scientists even think it was our ancestor's symbiotic relationship with dogs that let them outcompete other groups such as Neanderthals.
Dogs are able to figure out human states of mind from our facial expressions and body language much better than any other animal, and we can do the same for them. There's a good episode of "Nova" that covers this, and shows some of the experiments.
To put it succinctly, according to science dogs really are "Man's best friend".
This makes me wonder what the heck went wrong in those cultures that reject dogs, and consider them to be pests and vermin to be exterminated or at best tolerated.
There is also evidence that the long association of Man and Dog has changed both species. By hunting together, each evolved to emphasize their strengths in the partnership, and lost things they no longer needed. There is a good discussion of this in Temple Grandin's "Animals in Translation".
Some scientists even think it was our ancestor's symbiotic relationship with dogs that let them outcompete other groups such as Neanderthals.
Dogs are able to figure out human states of mind from our facial expressions and body language much better than any other animal, and we can do the same for them. There's a good episode of "Nova" that covers this, and shows some of the experiments.
To put it succinctly, according to science dogs really are "Man's best friend".
This makes me wonder what the heck went wrong in those cultures that reject dogs, and consider them to be pests and vermin to be exterminated or at best tolerated.