New research has established that the dog arrived 16,000 years ago in Asia, south of the Yangtze River in China.The point in time when the dog emerged is well in line with the point when the population of this part of the world changed from hunting and gathering to farming as a way of life – this was 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.
This research indicates that the dog has only one geographical origin, but is descended from a large number of animals. At least several hundred tame wolves, probably even more.
"Considering that it involved so many wolves, this indicates that this event was important and a major part of the culture," he asserts.
He adds that research results have produced several exciting theories such as the fact that the original dog, in contrast to its younger relatives in Europe who were used for herding and as guard dogs, probably ended up in people’s stomachs! link.
