Bec and Asa were joined by Vet John Houghton from Kalamunda Veterinary Hospital to discuss why dogs make great pets. Over time, dogs have gone from being wild creatures to domesticated family members. Dr. John unpacked how that all took place.
Zebras in Zimbabwe
John has been a vet for 35 years and during his time in Zimbabwe, working with wildlife, he even had a zebra walk into the clinic car park one day.
Domestication of Dogs
He said that, although he gets a range of animals, his favourite pets to see are cats and dogs.
“So wolves actually chose us in the beginning. They came around human settlements looking for food.”
He explained that a bond developed between the two because animals could get food and humans could get companionship and also protection.
“They were actually guarding their food source, but they were inadvertently protecting people from predators and other more dangerous animals that were coming in to get food. So this dual bond thing developed where both were looking for the other, for one thing or another.”
Human Selection
Over time, people found that if they chose the wolves, they were tamer and easier to live with, because they weren’t trying to hunt.
“We were also finding that the tame ones could get more access to the food, so the tame ones were surviving because they could eat more.”
Survival of the Subdued
It began a gradual process of tame wolves surviving on high quality food, and became what we now see as domestication.
“The other interesting thing that developed is most dogs don’t look like wolves at all. By selecting for tameness, we actually selected for physical traits that looked prettier to us.”
Furry Friends of Today
Our selection process curated animals with smaller teeth, shorter noses, floppy ears, certain colouring and wagging tails.
“We also selected for something called pedomorphism, where an animal retains its puppyhood.”
He outlined that every dog from a Chihuahua to a Great Dane is a descendant from a wolf, and the bond between human and dog is built from generations of connection and selection.
Check out the full chat with Dr. John below.