Valentine One: Dog Park Equipment

Thursday 3 January 2013

Dog Park Equipment

The history of domestic dogs began 20,000 years ago, when Mesolithic Man first began to use dogs while hunting. When livestock became domesticated 7000 to 9000 years ago, dogs were important as protectors and guards. Skeletal remains indicate that five diverse types of dog existed in the Bronze Age (about 4500 BC) – mastiffs, wolf-type dogs, greyhounds, pointing dogs, and shepherding dogs, and cave paintings show dogs working alongside human hunters.

In the 5th century BC the Greeks utilized dogs as guards. Fifty dogs protected the fortress of Corinth and when attacked, saved the town. The sole canine survivor was given a pension for life and a silver collar. The Greeks also used them for hunting, some preferring Celtic dogs for that task. Doctors used dogs to determine whether a person was dead or in a coma – a wag of the dogs tail would indicate life, but a silent dog meant the person was indeed dead. In 350 BC Aristotle made a list of the known breeds, discussing the merits of some.