Canis Familiaris

Humans and canids have walked the earth together for at least 30,000 years. Branching off from the  wolf family tree in the Middle Paleolithic, ancestors of today’s domestic dogs began tagging along with Stone Age humans, to the benefit of both parties. Dogs got table scraps. Humans got help herding their sheep and goats and an early warning system comprised of ears and noses and eyes far keener than our own. Both parties received companionship, a cross-species bond that began reshaping the bodies and brains of both. Recent advances in brain imaging, genomic studies and cognitive science have shed new light on this coevolution, deepening our understanding of how it is that over time we’ve become each other’s best friends.

Canis familiaris provides an overview of this new science. It tells as well the stories of the author’s lifelong travels with his own family dogs. Explains how along the way, they have taught him much more than he has taught them. Shown him, as much as anyone, how to be a more human being. He is grateful.

Consider yourself invited: Sit! Stay! Read!