2007-07-04 08:44:46 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Wow -- I'm amazed by these answers. Truly ignorant.
Put it this way: If dogs weren't here, we wouldn't be here.
We didn't domesticate dogs tens of thousands of years ago just for fun. They helped us hunt and capture our meals, and protect our families from predators. They pulled our belongings when we moved camp, and they transported us to better whale/seal hunting grounds when food was scarce.
When we settled into agrarian societies, they helped us control our flocks/herds, and protect those animals from predators.
We could not have survived without them, and they could not have survived without us. People tend to forget that dogs used to be anything other than the pets they are now.
If we had a little more respect for their heritage and impact on our societies, maybe we wouldn't be so quick to throw them away these days...
2007-07-04 09:24:38 · answer #1 · answered by Loki Wolfchild 7 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Loki said it best. We even in the early days had the knowledge that dogs were necessary for our survival. The happiest dogs of today are those with jobs no matter how meaningless some of us humans think those jobs are. My house pet Husky having lived with us for only a month after being dumped off on a city street to live has many jobs. He pulls the trash cart out to the curb, he keeps a watch over my children in case a coyote or other wild animal enters our yard while my back is turned. He keeps company with my daughters horse and provided endless love and laughter to our entire family.
Currently he is learning to search each of us our by name.
When I ask him where's Brenna he will search the entire house and or property to find her and with a deaf father that is going to be an invaluable job for our entire family.
Many lonely people who treat their dogs like children would be lost without their companionship. A dog at the foot of your bed is far better than a cold spot next to you.
All animals are living things and deserve our respect and the opportunity to thrive so to answer the above question the survival of the human species was and is dependent on the dog. Just ask a sheep herder or anyone who likes to wear a wool coat.
2007-07-04 17:39:41 · answer #2 · answered by New England Babe 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I think the importance of dogs in regards to the development of human kind, our survival and culture/society is far underrated.... Many theories as to the domestication of the dog are very egocentric, mainly the supposition that it was dogs who joined our human groups and scavenged etc thus carving out a niche for themselves in human life. However we don't know that for certain and much new evidence points to an entirely different story.. One which based on our primate heritage has us humans as the roaming group of scavengers, pillaging the discarded bones of early canid packs for the marrow inside... It is theorized and supported by archaeological evidence that our ancestors were herbivorous until we started to supplement our diet with more meat and protein which led to our brains developing more fully and getting bigger. Bones found show evidence that the animal was killed by canids and yet the bones were cracked open by humans, with early tools to get at the marrow. It is entirely possible that it was we who learned from wolves how to hunt and kill prey as a group and then we moved on from there using our unique tool-making skills to improve upon our hunting abilities. It could be that we owe everything to the ancestors of the domestic dog, for teaching our ancestors things we never would have learned otherwise. Not to mention that long after the domestication of the dog they have contributed immensely to human survival.. everything from protecting us, our crops, our flocks, and our settlements from predators... to providing a means of transportation, hunting assistance and soo much more. Without dogs we simply would not be where we are today... Too many people fail to respect the role canines have played in the history of humanity.. we owe them BIG TIME! Its sad that those who we stood on the backs of to reach the top have been forgotten for their assistance... maybe as others have said if more people realized what all the dogs throughout history have done for human kind many people would not treat them as garbage or worse today. I think we owe far more to early dogs/wolves than we yet know, and I believe that they are still contributing to the survival of humanity and that they will continue to do so... hopefully we will respect them more in the future and there will be no more mistreatment of them.
2007-07-04 23:42:12 · answer #3 · answered by Kelly + Eternal Universal Energy 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Some people that are dog haters are also ignorant. By not learning to love a pet you loose so much, the face and happiness they give you when you get home is priceless. I just had to put down my beloved cat of 11 years, I have a hole in my heart for the pain. I got more love with my pets than with some family members that are cold to the bone.
2007-07-04 19:30:23 · answer #4 · answered by sandrota 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
my dog gives me company
2007-07-04 15:58:40 · answer #5 · answered by emilie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mine prevent me from killing people, so I'd say that's a plus!
2007-07-04 15:53:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not very important.
2007-07-04 15:52:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 5⤋
we could of dealt without them, but they did become of use for hunting and protection.
2007-07-04 15:49:03 · answer #8 · answered by kaykay 2 · 2⤊ 4⤋
Menaingless, they had no impact
2007-07-04 15:52:56 · answer #9 · answered by booman17 7 · 1⤊ 5⤋