There is no doubt that dogs have had a major impact on human history. However, the results of this impact are not universal and the human-dog relationship varies greatly between cultures. As the human race began to evolve, the newly domesticated species of dogs would have begun evolving with them. Around 8000 B.C.E humans invented farming and slowly began the transition from hunter/gatherer lifestyles to agrarian societies by 3000 B.C.E. Although there is not much information on dogs during this shift, there are artistic records and genetic evidence that can help researchers piece together a bit of the unknown history.
Dog-like figures have been pictured in the artistic record since ancient cave paintings. In the earliest paintings, we see depictions of large wild dogs and groups of dogs hunting. As we shift our focus from the art of the paleolithic and Mesolithic periods (30,000 B.C.E. – 8000 B.C.E) to art of the Neolithic period (8000 B.C.E – 3000 B.C.E.) we no longer see dogs being widely depicted as wild animals. In Neolithic Chinese art we see dogs begin to be depicted as pets or guardians and we also see them being present or used during rituals. In Neolithic Mesopotamian art we see dogs wearing collars, being protectors and being companions for the gods. With different cultures come different canine depictions, many of which still contribute to how individual cultures interact with dogs across the modern world.
Another way of understanding dog history is through the use of archaeological remains and genetic evidence. By analyzing the remains of both humans and dogs, we are able to understand the role that dogs had in different human societies. The mid-Neolithic era is the first time that historians began to see the practice of burying dogs in human graves. This practice has allowed us to see the changing relationship between humans and dogs, showing that people during this era wanted to bring their dog companions and protectors with them into the afterlife. This marks a shift in regard towards dogs. This practice also preserved the bodies of dogs which allows for scientists to analyze their remains. Through genetic analysis, we have been able to see that the stomach contents reflect an agrarian diet, containing grains that dogs would have obtained from coexisting with human societies.
In Western society, dogs have a strong societal role as companions, but this is not always the case. Since the history of canine domestication differs between cultures, it only makes sense that those differences would translate into the modern-day. Some cultures never developed a companionship relationship with dogs, that just means their history evolved differently. For that reason dogs also play a wide range of roles in today’s world, from companionship to wild village dogs, to livestock, to service animals, dogs are incredibly common throughout the modern world. No matter the way they are seen or interacted with today, dogs have and will continue to play a significant role in societies around the world.
