Dogs and Humans Didn’t Become Best Friends Overnight

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but new research on ancient canine remains shows that the relationship didn’t develop overnight. For long periods of time, humans lived in tension with their canine companions, often eating them and skinning them for pelts. Theirs was a relationship of necessity and convenience.

“At that time (the relationship) obviously fluctuated,” says Stefan Ziegler, a scientist with the World Wildlife Fund and the coauthor of a study published recently in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. “Sometimes people ate their dogs and sometimes they just used them as guard dogs and maybe even pets.” Read more.