History
Here the story of the dog-man relationship is told, beginning with the early civilizations in which this relationship first developed. As this story continues, how and why the various types of dogs first evolved is described, together with the purpose of classification of dogs into the various groups of breeds.
As I have devoted most of my life to one breed in particular - Airedale Terriers - the history of that breed in Australia is explored here in some detail.
There is much speculation about when where how and why the dog-man bond first began. It could have been up to 100,000 years ago but the first conclusive proof dates back over 12,000 years to the earliest campsites. There is no doubt that the earliest domesticated dogs developed along with man.
The Wolf that became Domesticated
Some form of wolf still exists today in Europe, Asia, Australia and the entire American continent. These provide evidence that the wolf can and did live in the close proximity with humans and become domesticated.
Around 3,000 BC humans began to live in somewhat permanent dwellings instead of being nomadic. This created an opportunity for dogs and humans to become attached to one another for purposes other than assisting in hunting or flock protection. Hence the appearance of companion dogs co-inciding with the birth of various civilizations.
In Eurasia (Asia + Europe) glaciers receded and gave way to fertile forests. With the demise of large dinosaurs, stag, wild boar, deer and animals that were the ancestors of today's sheep became prevalent giving both man and dog a more reliable food source. ‘Pile dwellers’ could then live in somewhat more permanent settlements, with dog assisting man forming a convenient bond for hunting as well as cleaning up and keeping night watch over the settlements.
In North Africa around 10,000BC, nomadic people lived in a savannah teeming with giant buffalo and other bovines that were later domesticated into the various cattle breeds we know today. These early people used their hounds for hunting and killing a bovine that roamed within these wild herds.
When Christians took their hounds to the Holy Land, they found that the Arabs were equally obsessed with various kinds of hunting. So dogs were exchanged, crossed and back-crossed with the ‘Peat Dog’ thrown into the mix. Fowling was one of the types of hunting which had its origins in these early days of civilization. Along the banks of the Nile, Fowling was the hunting of waterfowl and other migrating birds, which were captured with nets [2]. These birds were useful not only for food, their down and feathers were used for clothes and bedding.
History of Airedales in Australia
Airedale Terriers were first imported into Victoria Australia in 1890 just 7 years after they were first recognized in the UK, and have been bred and exhibited here continuously ever since. Despite this, their complete history in Australia has never before been fully documented. As my personal involvement in the breed has now spanned more than 50 years, I have taken on the responsibility to document their history within Australia.