Dr. Robert Losey research featured in the Edmonton Metro!
March 6, 2016
Congratulations to Dr. Robert Losey on a news article in the Edmonton Metro featuring his research on the ancient bond between dogs and humans!
Link to article entitled "Best friends forever: Bond between humans, dogs is ancient, says researcher" written by Alex Boyd here: http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2016/03/06/university-of-alberta-researcher-studies-human-dog-bond.html
Exerpt from article: Losey says that the dogs at Lake Baikal may have looked much like modern huskies, and genetic evidence suggests many had white-ish coats.
"I'm not sure people saw their dogs at this time as pets, if by 'pet' we mean an animal just kept for companionship. These were animals that almost certainly worked with people on their daily tasks, in hunting, transporting things, protecting the group and so on," he said.
"This is not to say they were also not companions or parts of the family, but they were also 'working' parts of these communities."
Still, Losey was able to use chemical analysis of bones to determine that the dogs were fed the same diet as humans - suggesting Fido may have more experience with table-side begging than we realize.
Losey is now working on a new site in Siberia with the remains of more than 100 ancient dogs. Showing the complexity of the relationship, some of those were buried, but some were also eaten by humans.
But overall, Losey says the number of ancient dog burials worldwide tops cats and even horses, suggesting the special place they occupy in human hearts.
"The history of our working relationship with animals, and our emotional relationships, is what interests me."