Dogs – from Evolution to Breeding

The mall I always have my coffee in devotes Saturdays as dog day. Every Saturday, dog lovers walk their dogs in the mall’s wide grounds, along corridors, lounge with their owners in chairs and tables and even inside the mall. The only condition is that owners have them on leads and they clean up their poos, where necessary.

It is fun to see dogs of different breeds, of every size and color, all well-groomed as if going to a party.

The show stealers are always the Chihuahuas in skirts, the beautiful manes of chow chows and the fierce demeanor of Asian Huskies.

Most of them are in leads, a few are free to roam about while some are carried snugly in their owners’ arms – which make me wish, sometimes, that I was a dog.

But wait! If dogs evolved from the fierce and vicious wolves, why do we have such an array of cuddly and lovable dogs now?

The answer is breeding.

Man tamed the wolf, or some wolves were tamed by man as a service dog - to help him hunt and farm.

Later on, man found it necessary to have dogs that have good sense of smell, eyesight, fast and strong to bring down a prey. He wanted a dog to guard his home and his farm. So he scouted around neighboring tribes in search for dogs with traits he was looking for.

It was a short hop from there to cross-breed a dog from one tribe with another tribe to breed a dog with characteristics each tribe was looking for. Call it the earliest form of win-win solution.

That early form of exchange deal produced several breeds of ancient dogs. Today, DNA examination of 85 domesticated dogs, reveal that the earliest form of cross-breeding later produced 14 breeds still existing today. The top five ancients are:

-       Afghan hound;

-       Akita Inu;

-       Alaskan Malamute

-       Basenji

-       Chow chow.

Dog breeding became a business when Man progressed and needed another “symbol” of his affluence – top of the line dogs. This was given a boost when the well-heeled English society held the first dog show in 1850. After that, dog shows started sprouting everywhere, giving birth to Kennel Clubs.  

Worldwide, it is impossible to determine the number of dog breeds out there. Officially, according to the World CanineOrganization, which holds the largest registry of dog breeds known internationally, there are 339 breeds divided into 10 categories, according to its purpose.

Will that number stop there? I wouldn’t bet on it. I am sure the distinction of the Toy Australian Shepherd as the youngest dog breed shall soon be broken.