“Dogs are wolves that are evolved to life among homo sapiens…” 

In this first episode of a two-part conversation, archaeologist David Ian Howe and I talk about how that 10lb Chihuahua who steals my covers is actually a little wolf who has ingeniously won the game of evolution. David’s lifelong love of dogs and passionate curiosity for archaeology have led him to explore the amazing story of how dogs and humans have co-evolved, and how it is impossible to talk about the human story without talking about the story of dogs. We cover a wide range of topics, including the mythological aspect of dogs, dogs and trauma, and how dogs are encouraging us to step up and become the highest versions of ourselves.

Thank you so much for listening!I hope you enjoyed it! I Come on over to Instagram ⁠@MysticDogMama⁠ and share with me your biggest takeaway from this episode! I would love to hear from you.

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This episode is supported by Aspirationery, which in full transparency, is another project of mine. At Aspirationery, we make books, notebooks, and stationery to help you become all you aspire to be! You can check out our shadow work & moon magic journals and workbooks on Instagram @Aspirationery and on Amazon.

To find out more about David and his work:

David’s website: https://davidianhowe.com

David’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/ethnocynology

David’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@davidianhowe

David’s TED-Ed presentation I reference on the history of dogs:

https://youtu.be/8_KWmzLObQ4?si=D6Na3-qUbAYJWju2

Timestamp

0:22 Intro

05:00 How David got into archaeology and the co-evolution of dogs and humans

10:20 Archaeology as a resource

11:15 The mythological aspect of dogs

12:20 Our dogs as our mirrors and spiritual guides

16:00 How to help our domestic wolves adapt to our human-designed world

20:00 Dogs as individuals

25:40 The roles of dogs in the past and today - what our myths show us

31:05 The agency of dogs in the past and present 

33:27 Dogs in films

35:25 Talking with our dogs

38:57 Wolves won the evolutionary game

41:54 Dogs are emotional beings more than thinking beings

44:55 Trauma in dogs and humans 

51:00 Helping our dogs by helping ourselves

52:15 The new religion - being alone in the woods with your dog

57:00 Epigenetics and ancestral healing within ourselves and our dogs

1:04:00 What has David’s dog taught him about being human?

DISCLAIMER: This is not a substitute for medical advice or other relevant professional advice.