Dogs as Pets

The origin of the canine can be traced back with some certainty to the Eocene Miacids that existed nearly 55 million years ago. The modern day dog evolved from the Canoidea line (a coyote type of dog) that existed around 38 million years ago, which again evolved into a fox-like animal (the Leptocyon) and then into a wolf-like animal (the Tomarctus) about 10 million years ago. The Tomarctus was apparently native to the North American continent, and from there began expanding throughout the various parts of the world. The dog like Tomarctus was a dog-like carnivore that eventually evolved into the modern day dog.

Modern day evidence suggests that the dog is the closest relative to the wolf – experts have deduced this information based on genetics and behavior patterns.

These wolf like animals became domesticated as humans began raising the wolf pups as tame and social animals. Humans probably interacted more with these animals because of the shared interest in the same types of prey and habitats. Eventually these pups became dependent on the humans for food and adapted to living with humans. The modern day domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a descendent of these early wolf-pup domestications beginning around 10,000 BC.