Tag: Dog Domestication
From Wolves to Pets: A 25,000-Year Journey
The unique human-dog relationship is a product of human-led evolution, beginning when ancient wolves were genetically molded into dogs by artificial selection over $25,000$ years. This process, sped up by the dog's short generation time, created extreme diversity (from wolf to Chihuahua). Today, the bond is expressed as family because modern safety (vaccines) removed historical constraints, allowing the shared oxytocin neurochemical loop—an evolved, biological reality—to fully affirm the dog as our closest, most devoted companion.