https://images.pexels.com/photos/8700/wall-animal-dog-pet.jpg

I have always been interested in archeology. That's why I try to keep up with the developments in this area as much as I can. A recent study I read was quite interesting.  As you know, the place of the dogs in human history dates back to ancient times. In fact, it is said to they are one of the first domesticated animals. The reason for our friendship that has been coming for centuries is that it is included in both our dogs and our genetic codes.  But were the animals we call the "dog" in the past, in the sense we know, really?

Victoria Monagle, Tyler Conrad and Emily Lena Jones of the University of New Mexico's Anthropology Department set out to find the answer to this question. The question in their mind when doing the research "What makes a dog?" simple but effective right? For this, they began to research the remains of a 14th century site in Rio Grange Valley. The remains in this area belong to an animal species called Canidae.  This species can be considered as the primitive of the dogs in the sense that we know.  However, it is difficult to tell whether these remains are domestic or wild, and the research is interesting at this point.  Researchers who wanted to understand the location of the remains in human life have resorted to ancient DNA.

Let's stop at this point and think about it. What makes us call an animal pet or a wild?  I think the fundamental distinction is that the pet is fed by humans and the wild animal is fed by itself. Therefore, in the research carried out on the remains, a trace was sought that the isotopes were nourished by humans.   However, the fact that the people of that period also consisted of meat such as deer and turkey made it challenging to conclude. The lack of a lot of Canidae remains may also be due to the lack of a lot of primitive dogs living in the same area as humans. 

Although there were not many Canidae ruins in the habitats, some remains were found near the graves of people.  The remains found in the rooms and interior spaces used by the people of Pueblo in religious ceremonies show that these people value Canidaes. However, it was seen as a member of the family or because of religious rituals; this part is not clear.  Because some of the remains are inside and some are outside the caves.  And this is an important clue that animals are wild. If you want to read and examine the research in more detail, you can reach it [here](https://www.openquaternary.com/articles/10.5334/oq.43/). 

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<sub> [source](https://www.openquaternary.com/articles/10.5334/oq.43/) : Monagle, V., Conrad, C., & Jones, E. L. (2018). What Makes a Dog? Stable Isotope Analysis and Human-canid Relationships at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo. Open Quaternary, 4(1).  </sub>
<sub> cover photo : [pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/animal-dog-pet-labrador-8700/) </sub>