Man's Best Friend - by Peter Gach

I left off last time with how the wolf hadstartedinteracting with humans and how evolution started to change. Humans, in effect, replace nature's process with our "man-made" one. With almost 14,000 years of man's meddling, a new animal evolved. These animals, thanks to domestication and diet, had smaller brains, heads, and teeth compared to the wolves.....yup, we now call them dogs. As they evolved from wolves to dogs, they became more important to humans, for their usefulness and companionship. 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, man was unable to leavewell enough alone. Man tinkered in creating working dogs and companion dogs. That's when the different breeds emerged: Herding dogs for livestock, Sporting dogs for bird hunting, Hounds for hunting by scent and by sight. Working dogs performed many tasks, including hauling, herding, and guarding. Terriers hunted vermin and rodents. Tow breeds for lap warmers and companionship. Dogs were also bred for conquests and war. Alexander the Great had a breed called Molossus, that could knock a man from his horse! Spanish conquistadors used kill-trained greyhounds and large mastiff type dogs against the Native Americans. We know dogs were used during the Civil War, WWI, WWII and all other wars since to the present. But now, the modern "soldier" dog is trained to save lives and not to take them, search out weapons, explosives and drugs. Cop dogs were first used in Europe, like in Belgium, England and Germany, as they are used everywhere in the world today. Dogs have adapted well to the needs and desires of humans because of their loyalty, companionship and assistance,This iswhy their species is so successful.We communicate with dogs effectively through voice, body language and facial expression. Mostdogs are more understanding of us than we are of them! There's mutual respect between dogs andhumans. Dogs would have great difficulty surviving on their own, which makes them a sensitive pal, cooperative and responsive to the moods of its owners. Dogs are one of the great things we have. They help save lives, they help people make a living, they are healers by reducing stress and lowering blood pressure and are wonderful "friends". After all, a dog will not turn on you as long as you treat them right.