Maybe it was the dogs who tamed humans
This letter was published The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Reporter John Head writes that dogs became the first domesticated animals 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, when humans tamed wolves (“Cats or Dogs?†Living, July 9).
There is a theory that the wolf ancestors of dogs initiated the relationship with humans by hanging around our camps for scraps of food.
If this theory is correct, there is a sense in which dogs domesticated or tamed us.
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Stumble It!
May 6th, 2007 at 3:30 am
There is merit in the theory that dogs initiated the contact and formed a symbiotic relationship with early man. There is no evidence that early man even tried to ‘domesticate’ any other animal, and the dogs – wolves – of the time would have been too fierce to approach. I am inclined to think the dogs made the approach in the way you mention.
It was safer for dogs to approach man as dogs could run away faster if threatened. They could easily ‘hang around’ and steal food that was unattended.
There were obvious benfits to a relationship. Man was without a natural defensive weapon and without speed. But they had fire and shelter. Dogs had teeth and claws, great speed, and importantly, a similar tribal hierachical structure. And they were occasional competitors for the same food sources. Co-operation benefitted both. As joint hunters, their prey stood little chance.
The first man to develop a companion relationship with a dog would have had a huge advantage over other men, prompting others to encourage dogs to ‘hang around’ too.
There is a view, posited by Professor Mffanwy Ffanstruther-Ffgolightly PhD (third attempt) of the University of British West Hartlipools, that human beings would not have survived were it not for dogs. She holds the view that the word God was in fact a mistake by an early dislexic.
May 6th, 2007 at 8:20 am
…or an artful wag with a penchant for anagrams.
May 6th, 2007 at 9:23 am
Yes indeed amfortas, a scholarly observation.
Some may posit that, since humans have selectively bred dogs for purposes that are of advantage to humans, then humans must have supervised the process.
However, we would do well to consider how the weak and useless little poodle has been spectacularly successful in securing the loyalty, affection and servitude of human females, thereby ensuring the continuation of its genes.
A lesson for us all.
May 7th, 2007 at 10:36 am
I observe that America treats dogs and cats better than they treat fathers and men. For example, there are no men hospitals, yet there are many animal hospitals.
Further, while I was about to cross an intersection while walking a dog, a woman driver stopped her car during a rush hour. Although this was courteous, on the other side of the street traffic was as heavy, so I stood still.
The people behind the woman began beeping their horns. The woman stuck her head out of her car window and yelled at the others, “IT’S A DOG!â€
Alone I have stood at that intersection many times; I do not recall someone stopping for me.
In another example, my feminist sister said to South American friends, “Do you want to see my kids.†Eagerly, the Latin woman agreed. My sister pulled out her wallet to share pictures of her dogs. The Latin women were shocked. They replied that these were pictures of dogs not children.
In America, feminists have food stores, clothing stores, shelters, rights groups, magazines, hospitals, barbers, cemeteries, and day care for dogs and cats.
I opine that dog and cat worship is a byproduct of feminism. In general woman nurture and care for family, when they are unable to because of the demands of feminism (read: career, materialism, selfishness), they care for dogs and cats.