Random+Facts

** •Dogs were domesticated from gray wolves about 15,000 years ago. **
 * Facts About Dogs: **

** •Dogs perform many roles for people. **

** •In 2001, there were estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world. **

** •Over the 15,000-year span the dog had been domesticated, it diverged into only a handful of landraces **

** •The English word dog comes from Middle English dogge, from Old English docga, a "powerful dog breed". **

** •Offspring are generally called pups or puppies, from French poupée, until they are about a year old. **

** •Genetic analyses indicate all dogs are likely descended from a handful of domestication events with a small number of ** ** founding females, ** ** although there is evidence domesticated dogs interbred with local populations of wild wolves on several occasions **

** • **** The majority of contemporary dog owners describe their dog as part of the family, although some ambivalence about the relationship is evident in the popular reconceptualisation of the dog-human family as a pack **