Our Love Of Dogs Goes Back To Prehistoric Times

Prehistoric Cynophilists Dogs today hold a special place in many people’s lives. But the bond isn’t a new one. Prehistoric people also loved their pooches, scientists have found. Archaeologists in Spain have discovered that humans and their canine companions were buried next to each other more than 4,000 years ago. Researchers found the remains of 26 dogs, ranging in age from one month to six years old, at four burial sites near Barcelona, Smithsonian Magazine reported. “The fact that these were buried near humans suggests there was an intention and a direct relation with death and the funerary ritual,” Silvia Albizuri, the study’s lead author, said in a news release. Albizuri’s team also found evidence that pet owners were directly responsible for the dogs’ diets. They found traces of wheat and animal protein in most bone samples, while other samples revealed a mainly vegetarian diet. “These data show a close coexistence between dogs and humans, and probably, a specific preparation of their nutrition, which is clear in the cases of a diet based on vegetables,” added study co-author Eulàlia Subirà. This is not the first instance of human-canine friendship, however. In 2018, scientists, studying the remains of a 14,000-year-old puppy that was buried next to its owners, found clues that the latter regarded the puppy as a pet and tried to care for it during an illness.