Whether they are stealing scenes on the silver screen or reppin' the 99% in Denver, CO, everyone can agree that dogs occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of humans the world over. But how much do we actually know about our four-legged friends? Dog expert Mark Derr, author of How the Dog Became the Dog (available now) has made a career out of exploring the dog/human relationship, debunking myths through scientific research and canine journalism. In recent essays and interviews with The Wall Street Journal, Salon, and NPR, Derr sheds light on the evolutionary history of man's best friend.
In the WSJ, Derr brings a fresh perspective to an ancient artifact: 26,000 year old paw prints left behind in the Chauvet Cave of southern France. "Attributing that paw print to a dog or even to a socialized wolf has been controversial since it was first proposed a decade ago. It would push back by some 12,000 years the oldest dog on record. More than that: Along with a cascade of other new scientific findings, it could totally rewrite the story of man and dog and what they mean to each other." Below, Derr discusses the latest scientific findings that challenge the consensus model of dog domestication with WSJ's Christina Tsuei.
In a recent interview with Salon.com's Emma Mustich, Derr delves into the co-evolutionary development shared between humans and dogs and rev