Another story from the joint meeting of the National Association of Science Writers and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing held in Gainesville, Florida, during the first week of November in 2013, addressed the evolution of our relationship with the Dog.
A popular interpretation of this relationship suggests that the dog first became domesticated when early humans adopted tractable wolf cubs, and began interbreeding the most docile of those adoptees. As we continued to select for the most loyal, affectionate animals the wolf was transformed into the pet with which we share our homes.
Dr. Clive D.L. Wynne, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University who spoke at the NASW/CASW meeting, begs to differ. In his Nov. 3, 2013 presentation to a room full of science writers, most of whom admitted that they were also dog lovers, Wynne said, “Those beasts are not our best friends, but are vermin like the others.” Wynne theorizes that, like the rat and the mouse, the dog became associated with humans in order to scavenge scraps of food from our ancient garbage dumps, not to help us with hunting or provide us with affection.
In support of his hypothesis, Wynne said that the areas most densely populated by dogs are the dumps of Mexico. Over two-thirds of Mexico’s dogs live today on the streets as scavengers. Only a minority live as pets in people’s homes.
Next time your dog steals a steak from your table, or growls over a scrap of food that fell to the ground, keep Wynne’s theory in mind. Your best friend might be primarily a food-driven scavenger.
For more about Wynne’s research, follow these links: http://casw.org/new-horizons/speakers/clive-d-l-wynne
© 2013
