Ummm….I read somewhere that chihuahuas were bred to be food. The canine equivalent of a chicken.
Can’t find it now, but several months ago I also read an interesting article describing the physiological differences that have evolved between modern dogs and their wolf ancestors. In particular, modern dogs have muscles above their eyes that let them move their brows and eyelids expressively, like guilt, sadness, surprise or anger, muscles which wolves do not have at all. So we selected for those traits that helped us understand them.
Same with barking. Wolves don’t do it. But dogs that bark warnings of things they can hear, smell or see that we can’t are a great alarm system, and barking is also great for locating where they have cornered or treed an animal being hunted.
As was said above, we pretty much shape everything around us to suit us.
But with dogs I think it has in some ways brought us closer, at least in the sense of relating to each other emotionally. Anyone who has owned a dog knows this. I had no idea about the relationship, the bond, between a human and a dog until I “owned” one. They can read our feelings, and we can read theirs. They are family. And I am in awe of their loyalty, bravery, and love for their pack. We could learn a lot.
“I wish I was the man my dog thinks I am”
.
