Mankind’s best friend

According to an old proverb the dog is our best friend, but the wolf might be our oldest friend. There has been discoveries of fossils from wolves and humans together dating back longer than fourteen thousand years, but science has reason to believe that man first began to tame the wolf close to 135,000 years ago. Did the wolves follow the normadic man or did man follow the wolves.

Scientists can not agree on whether humans tamed wolves actively, or the wolf sought out man. No matter how the relationship came to be it has certainly left traces throughout history such as mythical stories like Romulus and Remus, that according to legend was orphans raised by a mother wolf before founding Rome.

Chimpanzees are perhaps the most intelligent animals with the most processing power on the top floor, but there is a certain task where the dog is far superior to the chimpanzee. The dog excels at picking up signals from human behavior. This interpretation ability was perhaps key to making humans chose the dog as a favourite pet. Wolves are far less talented than the dog to detect human signals, which might indicate that the dog was specifically bred and selected for this ability.

Some researchers believe that the wolf almost tamed itself. The wolf is a scavenger, and wolves probably stayed close to human camps at a safe distance to snatch an easy snack once in a while. The wolves that were less afraid of humans, may very well have had a better chance to survive. From the semi-tame wolves that followed people, some scientists believe that mankind might have adopted some wolf pups and discovered that they could be trained.

Other researchers have considered that humans actively went out and captured wolf cubs in order to train them. The tame wolves might have been useful for hunting, guarding and carrying equipment, pets and for other purposes – and for the wolf and later the dog, humans have been an effective source of a steady stream of treats. It is a symbiotic relationship with deep historical ancestry and a proud tradition. It is assumed that the wolf was the first domesticated animal that ever lived with humans. This is evident in civilizations throughout history, as seen in paintings of dogs in Egypt, told in Rome and now with the continuation of the story here on this website.

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