How did dogs become human "companion animals" step by step?

The night before yesterday, official website, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, officially published a public consultation notice on the National Catalogue of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, and the animal species published in this catalogue did not include dogs. The explanation given by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is that with the development of human civilization and the public's concern and preference for animal protection, dogs have been "specialized" from traditional livestock to companion animals, which are generally not regarded as livestock internationally and should not be included in livestock management in China.

The human civilization mentioned here definitely refers to the history after human domesticated dogs.

So what is the history of mankind and the lovely Wang Xingren?

This issue will tell you the answer!

The following contents will be introduced from three angles.

0 1

Prehistoric times/times

In prehistoric times, that is, before the emergence of human civilization, dogs have been domesticated.

A knowledge is that dogs are domesticated by wolves, but scientists and scholars have great differences on the time of domestication.

Some scientists think that dogs were domesticated 50,000 years ago or even 65,438+10,000 years ago, and some scholars think that dogs were domesticated only 1.6 million years ago.

Another knowledge (basically) is that dogs were first domesticated in Asia or East Asia.

We don't care about the above, we can restore the life at that time together:

There are a group of crazy primitive people living in Asia. These people worry about food every day. Women always go out to collect wild fruits, while men go out to hunt.

Usually, the spoils of men's hunting are dead, except for some animals that eat grass and are less aggressive. After all, those animals that are too aggressive are afraid to keep, such as tigers.

Those animals that are still alive and can be temporarily stored alive are left behind, such as getting a straw rope to tie up the wild goat and a rough wooden fence to lock up the original pig (raw) and the gray wolf.

However, some animals can't just shut up and not eat, or they will be hungry or starve to death, so people start feeding. In this process, the wildness of many animals gradually disappears, that is, they don't bite or go crazy, but gradually form a friendly relationship with human beings: that is, animals regard people as feeding tools and people regard animals as food for life.

In this way, after thousands or even tens of thousands of years of evolution, some animals were domesticated, such as pigs, dogs and sheep, and primitive animal husbandry began to develop.

At that time, people thought that these animals were living food (fattening before killing), and some animals were used as tools, such as gray wolves.

Some people get a straw rope to tie the wolf out when hunting. One is to take a walk (get rid of the wolf's addiction), and the other is to catch other small animals (make a living) by virtue of the wolf's skill.

In addition, some people may use wolves to check some things, and some people may ride wolves to pull sleds ~

In this process, wolves and people gradually developed certain feelings, which also helped wolves to be domesticated quickly.

Of course, the relationship between dogs (and wolves before) and people at that time was still relatively primitive, and the relationship between pets and people did not develop.

02

From the appearance of human civilization to modern times

After the emergence of human civilization, the relationship between dogs and people has not developed into the so-called companion animal relationship for a long time (note: the companion animal here means partnership and friendship, which is ambiguous according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The word partner refers to the relationship between husband and wife, but it is obviously indescribable and incomprehensible in animals.

In East Asia, it will not develop into a "companion animal" until at least modern times.

In Europe (West), ancient Rome and ancient Greece had all kinds of dogs, including pet dogs.

This actually shows that people's attitude and value orientation towards dogs at that time were not limited to coveting their body tissues.

In the Middle Ages, dogs were endowed with more positive qualities, such as loyalty, innocence and concentration. Many priests often compared themselves to sheepdogs, saying that they guided Christians' souls to be good.

Under this cultural background, the attitude of westerners towards dogs has changed, that is, the so-called "partnership" has emerged, so many people no longer eat dog meat.

Dogs in the East are not so lucky. Why do you say that?

From the lexical point of view, I just said that the connotation of the western word "dog" is loyalty, innocence and singleness, and it is often used to compare people. In the East (China), it is impolite to compare people with dogs.

Strictly speaking, not strictly speaking, the "dogs" in the East have not changed from livestock to pets.

Historical Records records: "The emperor ... filled the palace with dogs and horses as strange things." This shows that in Shang Dynasty, dogs were not a kind of food, but more a kind of pet.

In the Qing Dynasty, Yong Zhengdi, a workaholic, had a hobby: keeping dogs. He even gave dogs names, such as "Imitation Dog" and "Baifu Dog". He even made his own clothes and toys for dogs, just like an "ordinary dog beater".

These show that the royal family in China has always regarded dogs as pets, but they are different among the people. There is almost no trend of keeping pets among the people, and the habit of eating dog meat continues, at least in many ordinary people's homes.

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Modern Times

In modern times, western "dogs" have become very pet-friendly and even humanized. This is because some westerners have a firm attitude towards dog meat, and even claim that eating dog meat will violate "pet rights".

The word "right" can only be realized if it is attached to talents, so I say that there has been a phenomenon of humanization.

In China, dogs have become a pet recognized by most people, which should be after the reform and opening up.

The reason for this is that only when there is enough food can human beings have feelings for animals, not just as a kind of livestock, and the moment when food is really enough is after the reform and opening up.

Only in recent years has there been a large-scale phenomenon of opposing eating dog meat and calling for the protection of animals. This is a sign of civilization and progress, and more and more dog lovers are beginning to emerge.

Of course, there are still some places where dogs are still considered as a kind of food, and the so-called "partnership" with strong and delicate feelings has not developed.

So some westerners' stereotype of China is eating dog meat, which many people find incomprehensible. In fact, it is influenced by deep-rooted western culture.

In this opinion collection, I saw that some people had a clear attitude and many people opposed it, so I think it is better to wait for a period of time, and then edit the catalogue again after forming a knowledge of * * *.

Description:

Image: From the Internet

Text reference: [1] Guan Dexiang's "The Role of Dogs in China Culture" China Agricultural History [J] Mianyang Sichuan University of Culture and Art.

? [2] Baidu Encyclopedia?

? [3] Sanlian Life Weekly "Wang Xingren in Famous Paintings"-Art History of Dogs 20 16.6438+02.438+0.