| | The dog (''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a mammal of the family Canidae, order Carnivora, and the principal animal companion to mankind. With domestication many breeds have been created, from small to very-large, bearing coats of hair either short or long, shaggy or soft, smooth or curly, in colors either solid or mixed from white to brown to black. In addition, breeds have been specifically created to hunt game, act as guards, shepherd flocks of livestock, hunt for missing persons, or act as service animals in preventing anxiety, aiding in seizures, or as guides for the blind. | | The dog (''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a mammal of the family Canidae, order Carnivora, and the principal animal companion to mankind. With domestication many breeds have been created, from small to very-large, bearing coats of hair either short or long, shaggy or soft, smooth or curly, in colors either solid or mixed from white to brown to black. In addition, breeds have been specifically created to hunt game, act as guards, shepherd flocks of livestock, hunt for missing persons, or act as service animals in preventing anxiety, aiding in seizures, or as guides for the blind. |
| | The domestication of the dog by man has ancient origins. The oldest dog fossil remains in a human settlement have been found in a Natufian tomb,<ref>https://www.nature.com/articles/276608a0</ref> and date back to 11,000-12,000 years ago, but it is assumed that the origin of the relationship between the two species lies far behind time, claimed to be between 19,000 and 36,000 years ago. The study of a skull of "dog-like canine" found in the Altai mountains in Siberia has led to the hypothesis that the various modern dog breeds do not have a single common progenitor, but derive from different distinct processes of domestication of wolves in different areas of the world.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21829526</ref> | | The domestication of the dog by man has ancient origins. The oldest dog fossil remains in a human settlement have been found in a Natufian tomb,<ref>https://www.nature.com/articles/276608a0</ref> and date back to 11,000-12,000 years ago, but it is assumed that the origin of the relationship between the two species lies far behind time, claimed to be between 19,000 and 36,000 years ago. The study of a skull of "dog-like canine" found in the Altai mountains in Siberia has led to the hypothesis that the various modern dog breeds do not have a single common progenitor, but derive from different distinct processes of domestication of wolves in different areas of the world.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21829526</ref> |