For almost as long as humans have been around, dogs have been their companions. These sweet pups show up in paintings, on vases, on subway walls, in memes, and more. This website is the archive of the email "Dog of the Week" where I send out a new dog every week. If you like dogs then you're in the right place!

 

The earliest skeleton of a confirmed domesticated dog is the Bonn-Oberkassel Dog. Named after where it was discovered in Germany, this skeleton is believed to be over 14,000 years old. That’s 14 THOUSAND years, not 1400 but ten times that. Bonn (as I’ll call the dog for short) is believed to be about 16-20 inches (40-50cm) tall and relatively slim, similar to some West Asian wolves or some modern sighthounds such as the Greyhound or the Saluki. One notable thing about Bonn is that the remains show osteoarthritis and other bone-related diseases which indicates that Bonn survived a canine distemper infection as a puppy. Canine distemper still affects animals today (not humans though) and can affect several body systems. Without assistance, any animal with Canine distemper would die. But Bonn survived Canine distemper, most likely due to human care. Bonn’s remains were found buried alongside two humans who very possibly took care of their dog, providing food and water, and cleaning Bonn. This does not imply that Bonn was a livestock or wild animal but that this dog was a pet. Not much else is known about Bonn other than the fact that he was cared for, something any other pet owner can relate to. 

 

Bonn and his owners are an example of one of the most wonderful things about dogs: the way they connect humans throughout time and space. Domesticated dogs have been a part of human culture for as long as humans have had culture. Another example is Abuwtiyuw, a dog from ancient Egypt who was mummified as part of an unusually elaborate funeral around 2200 BCE. His name comes from a tablet that was discovered near the Great Pyramid of Giza which states that he was one of the pharaoh's guard dogs and when he died he was greatly honored. Abuwtiyuw was a Tesem, one of the three different types of ancient Egyptian dogs, similar to a Basenji or Pharaoh Hound. Abuwtiyuw is most notable as the earliest documented domestic animal whose name is known. Throughout history, pet graves have been very common. Ancient Romans often buried their pets and wrote epitaphs for them. Dog cemeteries are still around today! Not only have humans been caring for their dogs when they’re alive but we’ve been caring for them after death as well.
In life, in death, in art. 

 

Dogs have been part of human culture for thousands of years as well. From ancient stamps, tomb decorations, to renaissance paintings and subway walls, dogs have been appearing in art for as long as we’ve been doing art. Some of the earliest cave paintings include dogs. For being part of this mailing list, you will get a new piece of dog art or dog artifact in your email every week! If you want to see more, check out the archive for the backlog of dogs!