Canine Ancestry

The dog, our constant and loyal companion, has become a symbol of affectionate fidelity and unconditional love.  Today, there is a dog in every part of the human-inhabited world.  The relationship that began thousands of years ago with commensal scavenging by tamed wolves has evolved over some 10,000 years into our present day relationship.

The modern dog has become a valued member of the family, but has completely different dietary needs to those of humans.  Their nutritional requirements are at opposite ends of the food spectrum.  To speak of nutritional requirements of the dog is to speak of the same requirements of the wolf.  Science tells us today, through DNA testing, that a dog is a wolf, and this, it appears, is indisputable.

Wolves are carnivores and opportunistic scavengers.  They meet their nutritional needs by consuming prey animals, and when necessary, fruits and berries.  The domestic canine would do well on a similar raw food diet, however this food duplication would no doubt, pose problems too numerous to mention here.  A balanced raw meat diet offers a convenient and healthy alternative.

Some interesting facts: Dogs (and wolves and foxes) are descended from a small, weasel-like mammal called Miacis which was a tree-dwelling creature that existed about 40 million years ago. Dogs, as we know them today, first appeared in Eurasia about 13,000 years ago, and were probably a direct descendant of a small, grey wolf (not from the type of jackal or jackal/wolf as previously thought).  The dingo is not native to Australia but was introduced thousands of years ago by the first immigrants.  Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen in the Palaeolithic age and gradually developed (or were bred) into the breeds known today.