by: Garry Mason—Outdoors Editor

I am not sure of the exact time in history when man and canine found out that they could work together as a team for the betterment of each other.

More than likely, the very first canine pet was a wolf. I can imagine that some humans found a wolf cub and brought it back to the family cave. As this new-found playmate grew with the kids, so did the bond that we now recognize as one of life’s greatest gifts. That bound is the special feeling between us as humans and our canine fur balls that we love so very much.

I am sure that the bond between humans and canines was one of necessity, for both to survive, as well as a source of better hunting together—the wolf and the human formed an alliance, so to speak.

A new way of life was formed as the canine became both the guard of the family and shared in the hunt which helped to feed both man and animal. This alliance allowed both to flourish.

We think of animals such as the horse or the cow as being one of the most important to the advancement of our human race, but in my opinion, neither of these were as important as the canine.

Let’s take the Native Americans for example. These tribes of nomadic hunters did not have horses until the Spanish set sail and landed on the continent. What they had before that were dogs.

These dogs were used, not only to hunt but also as pack animals when the nomadic tribes moved from location to location. Once again, these family pets were the guard dogs of the pack that watched over the family and warned of danger approaching.

Large predators, such as bears, coyotes, and wolves, were a constant threat to the families of Native Americans. Dogs offered a way to help keep those predators at bay, giving the family warning and escape time when faced with danger in the harsh world of everyday life.

Moving forward to today, we find ourselves still utilizing these wonderful animals, which are descendants of yesterday’s protectors. For the most part, the animals that we love so much are a lot like those very first used by humans so very long ago.

They are loving and loyal to us.