Homer’s account of Argos waiting 20 years for his mas- ter to return from the Trojan War, to the careful burials of cherished pets all over the world. Archaeological evidence
How do we fall so deeply in love with these creatures? What is this power dogs have had over us since they first became domesticated? Many scholars think that dogs descend from wolves who gathered near the camps of semi-sedentary hunter-gath- erers some 10,000 years ago. “The process,” says University of Victoria zooar- chaeologist Susan Crockford, “was probably driven by the animal themselves. I don’t think they were deliberately tamed; they basically domes- ticated themselves.” Smaller wolves were
probably more fearless and curious than the larger, more dominant ones, and so the less aggressive wolves became more successful at living in close proximity to humans. “I think they also came to have a spiritual role,” says Crockford. “Dog burials are firm evidence of that. Later, perhaps they became valued as sentries. Their role as magical creatures was probably very important in the early days of the dog-human relationship.
Evidence for humans’ love of dogs in the ancient world is abundant, from
68 THE NEW BARKER
has proven time and again that our love of dogs is not a new phenomenon and as it turns out, nor is what we do to spoil them. As we all know, dogs live for treats. Behind the Stoa of Attalos—the main public building of the ancient Athenian market—a fourth- century grave was found con- taining the skeleton of a dog with a large beef bone near his head. In another find, the Chiribaya people of Peru (A.D. 900-1400) also made sure their pets had something to snack on after death. In 2006, archaeologists working in an ancient cemetery near the city of Ilo in southern Peru found the well-preserved remains of 80 dogs inter- spersed with the burials of about 2,000 people. Each dog had its own grave next to its owner, some were wrapped in finely woven llama-wool blankets. Many of the dogs had llama and fish bones next to their noses. The dogs, ranging in age from puppies to adults, mostly died from natural causes.
Michael MacKinnon, an
archaeologist from the University of Winnipeg says, “There is a great connection between humans and animals in Roman antiquity. To me, this aspect of animals garner- ing sentimental value and being treated like humans is a key aspect of Roman
culture.” Excerpts from Archaeological Institute of America. Used with permis-
sion.Photo above: Rosie Dobies.
Lucy Had One Aim In Life: To Bestow Her Heart.
Call it fate or divine intervention, but Lucy found Tom Dobies’ carport at the right time in his life.
––by Anna Cooke O
One day a little more than four years ago,Tom Dobies was pulling into his business and noticed a black dog under the carport. Their eyes met as Tom walked into his office. It was thundering and raining, so the dog remained under the carport as Tom went about planning his day at Dobies Funeral Homes and Crematory. Glancing out his window occasionally, he would notice the dog looking in. Surely, he thought, this won’t be good for business—an unknown dog hanging around
outside.Tom opened his office door to shoo the dog away. Instead, as the door opened, she walked right in as if invited, and in the process, into Tom Dobies’ heart. We don’t find a dog, even when we’re hoping to
adopt and bring a dog
home.Dogs find us, when the time is right. Call it fate or divine intervention, but the dog happened onto that carport at the right time in Tom’s life. Having grown up in Tarpon Springs in what could be termed modest if not humble beginnings,Tom had been working tirelessly to build a thriving and successful busi- ness over the last 30 years. As other independent funeral homes sold out to large corporations,Tom grew his busi- ness into four locations in Pinellas and Pasco Counties. Reluctantly at first,Tom decided they would keep the
dog until she could be placed with someone else. He took the dog to a local veterinarian to make sure she was okay, even checking for a micro-chip. He ended up naming her Lucy, and they became inseparable. Lucy hopped in the car with Tom every morning and joined him for breakfast before going to work together. She traveled with Tom, who personally called on families who had just lost a loved one. Tom noticed how Lucy seemed to bring a calmness to these
situations.Adults were able to smile, children hugged her neck. Tom bought a special tag for Lucy’s collar with the engraved title of Grief Therapy Dog. They visited hospice together.
www.TheNewBarker.com
Photograph byAnna Cooke
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