A Million Little Pieces Of My Mind

Aging Gratefully

Who Domesticated Whom?

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 2/16/2023 Page Views: 742
Hashtags: #Autobiography #Ella #Lilly
Humans give themselves too much credit for being the reason for everything.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (362 words)

The scientific evidence that dogs domesticated humans (rather than the other way 'round) comes from the Paleolithic era, as early as 10,000 BCE. The relationship between wolves and humans is well-represented in the fossil record. During this time, wolves, which are as happy scavenging as they are hunting, would have been a natural part of the human environment; and evidence suggests that humans used wolves for a variety of tasks, such as hunting, herding, and protection. This evidence is supported by archaeological discoveries that suggest that wolves were kept in human settlements and were treated as part of the human family.

And for proof of the success of this strategy, one need look no further than my own family.

In her ongoing effort to be welcoming of the dogs while not turning the place into a literal dog house, Jenny ordered a doggie door for the porch, to allow them access to their bathroom.

The dogs were unsure of this new way of going outside. Dominic volunteered to show them.

Even so, though, Ella could barely fit through the cutout. And she's always been reluctant to use her nose to push things. Luckily, thanks to Amazon®'s Easy Return Policy, Jenny was able to obtain a wider door to accommodate Ella's zaftig figure. Little Lilly, of course, had no such issue.

I didn't like the door's not being transparent. What's the point, since the rest of the unit is clear? In any case, after taping the door open and giving the dogs time to get used to that, we then let the door down and sent Dominic to lure the dogs outside,

Ella adores Dominic, so that was all it took. As for Lilly, she is smart enough to learn by watching. (In Maui, she was the only one of the two to figure out shortcuts when following me on the quad, so she could beat me to the destination.)

…aaannd…here comes Ella!

The dogs spend most of their time between my (our) room, the area adjacent to the kitchen and living room if anyone is there, and the half of the back yard that doesn't include the pool.