Difference between revisions of "Category:Dog"

Canis lupis familiaris

Formerly a species (Canis familiaris) the Smithsonian, and other institutions of repute, now reflect the wide agreement of the field in asserting that the domestic dog is sub-species of the wolf.

Two Dimensional Representations

• Dolly on a Cushion
• Spaniel in Relief
• The Dog by Al Comi
• A Pekinese by J. Barlow
• Portrait of Two English Setters
• Fluffy, White Dog on Rust Background
• Grayish Terrier Portrait
• Infant Human with Collie

A Dog's gaze will never conceal anything from you.

Sculptural Representations

• Spaniel in Relief
• Scottish Terrier Ashtray, Urinating
• Black Glass Bulldog

Other Dog Related Items

• Cat Toy Chewed on by a Dog
• Tui's Frisbee Toy
• Very Old Leather Dog Collar

The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated subspecies of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history. Amongst canine enthusiasts, the word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species, as opposed to the word "bitch."

The domestication of the gray wolf took place in a handful of events roughly 15,000 years ago in central Asia. The dog quickly became ubiquitous across culture in all parts of the world, and was extremely valuable to early human settlements. For instance, it is believed that the successful emigration across the Bering Strait might not have been possible without sled dogs. As a result of the domestication process, the dog developed a sophisticated intelligence that includes unparalleled social cognition and a simple theory of mind that is important to their interaction with humans. These social skills have helped the dog to perform in myriad roles, such as hunting, herding, protection, and, more recently, assisting handicapped individuals. Currently, there are estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.

Over the 15,000 year span that the dog had been domesticated, it diverged into only a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped by environmental factors and functional roles. As the modern understanding of genetics developed, humans began to intentionally breed dogs for a wide range of specific traits. Through this process, the dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds, and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal. For example, height measured to the withers ranges from a few inches in the Chihuahua to a few feet in the Irish Wolfhound; color varies from white through grays (usually called "blue'") to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns; coats can be short or long, coarse-haired to wool-like, straight, curly, or smooth. It is common for most breeds to shed this coat, but non-shedding breeds are also popular