There’s evidence that shows small dogs can be traced back to the Middle East:

Small dog Sasha.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2010) — A genetic study has found that small domestic dogs probably originated in the Middle East more than 12,000 years ago. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology traced the evolutionary history of the IGF1 gene, finding that the version of the gene that is a major determinant of small size probably originated as a result of the domestication of the Middle Eastern gray wolf. …

Previous archeological work in the Middle East has unearthed the remains of small domestic dogs dating to 12,000 years ago. Sites in Belgium, Germany and Western Russia contain older remains (13,000-31,000 years ago), but these are of larger dogs. These findings support the hypothesis put forward by Gray and colleagues that small body size evolved in the Middle East.

[Via : Small dogs originated in the Middle East, genetic study finds.]

Asia on the world map.

While the Village Dog Project is researching the origins of dogs, researchers in Stockholm have pinpointed where and when wolves were domesticated to become dogs:

in an article in the scientific journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, … it is claimed that the dog appeared 16,000 years ago, in Asia, south of the Yangtze River in China. …

The time for the emergence of the dog conforms well with when the population in this part of the world went from being hunters and gatherers to being farmers, which was 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

[Via : Cradle And Birthday Of The Dog Identified: East Asia 16,000 years ago.]

The reason why humans domesticated wolves is a little dark, for those of us who see our dogs as lovable members of the family:

…the research findings provide several exciting theories. For example, the original dogs, unlike their later descendents in Europe, which were used as herders and guard dogs, probably ended their lives in the stomachs of humans.

In some cultures eating dogs is as normal as eating lamb or beef in others.

This is a very sore point when it takes place in the ‘wrong’ location, as happened in New Zealand recently when a Tongan family cooked and ate a dog:

Mr Taufa said he was unaware that cooking his pet was not normal in New Zealand.

“I didn’t know I couldn’t cook the dog,” he said. “In Tonga, any time there I cook the dog and it is okay. Dog is good food.”

[Via : Dog eater needs 'education, not punishment' - National - NZ Herald News.]

I guess if we were to domesticate, say, deer, and have them living in our homes with us, we’d eventually find the notion of eating venison as controversial as the notion of eating dog.

Map from Wikimedia Commons.

The Village Dog Project is researching the origins of dogs:

Understanding the evolution and domestication in dogs requires genetic analysis of a global and diverse panel of non-breed-affiliated village dogs. With a network of worldwide and Cornell-affiliated collaborators, we plan to gather dog samples from remote villages, establish a genetic archive containing DNA and phenotypic information from these dogs, carry out genetic analyses on these samples, and develop computational methods for analyzing this dataset. In particular, we are interested in understanding the location, timing, and demographic conditions underlying domestication; the genetic changes involved in the transition of wolf to dog; the relationship between these village dogs and the breed dogs; and the effect that historical forces have shaped village dog diversity.

Also check out Travels with Darwin:

Travels with Darwin is the blog of Cori Boyko. …

During the summer of 2009, I’m traveling to Qatar, Lebanon, Turkey, Croatia, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and India with my husband Ryan Boyko in order to collect genetic samples from village dogs.

Just a short snippet, about how long people and dogs have been living closely together:

Fossil evidence suggests dogs were first domesticated from wolves at least 14,000 years ago

Other events from that time:

Dog burials

The oldest known dog, dating to about 14,000 years ago in Germany, was buried with two people.

[Via : USATODAY.com - Ritual dog burials tell a story of man's best friend, and man.]

Humans in North America

New evidence shows humans lived in North America more than 14,000 years ago, 1,000 years earlier than had previously been known.

…The petrified poop — coprolites to scientists — is yielding a look at the diet of these ancient Americans, Jenkins said.

While the analysis is not yet complete, he said there are bones of squirrels, bison hair, fish scales, protein from birds and dogs and the remains of plants such as grass and sunflowers.

[Via : Humans in N. America 14,000 years ago.]

Mammoths

“Mammoths are conventionally believed to have become extinct in North Western Europe about 21,000 years ago during the main ice advance, known as the ‘Last Glacial Maximum’” said Lister. “Our new radiocarbon dating of the Condover mammoths changes that, by showing that mammoths returned to Britain and survived until around 14,000 years ago.”

[Via : Mammoths Survived In Britain Until 14,000 Years Ago, New Discovery Suggests.]

Those must have been interesting times.