This week we’re joined by Dr Carly Ameen who is a Bio-Archeologist who has been part of a team studying the  emergence and diversification of dog morphology. Looking at the remarkable difference in over 600 dog’s skulls from as far back as 11,000 years, the team discovered a huge variety of skull shapes and sizes. This proves that dogs were very different from wolves at this point in time. But the missing link as to when wolves became dogs is still unclear. Clearly it was more than 11,000 years ago! The variety of skull shapes in what is generically termed a 'canid’ also dispels the myth that the Victorians created the range of dog breeds we see today. The extreme exaggeration of features was not apparent in the skulls analysed, but they do prove that dogs had been shaped, certain shapes were being created pressumedly for the different purposes that dogs were used for whether guarding, hunting, or simply being ‘lap dogs’.  We chat about the Romans and how there are graves dedicated to dogs in the UK dating back to the Roman empire, again proving the huge impact dogs have had on our lives for centuries. The question of when wolves became dogs may never be  answered as for many years the wolves - a strain of Grey Wolf, long extinct, would have remained as wolves for likely hundreds of years. What we do know is that these early dogs saw something in us early humans that inspired them to become man’s best friend.

Read the study here

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Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits