Alaska discovery reveals 12,000-year bond between humans and dogs

Researchers have discovered evidence that humans and dogs have been companions for thousands of years, with new findings from Alaska showing early people shared their food with canine partners about 12,000 years ago.

Anthropologists discovered remains of early doglike mammals during research digs in Alaska. The animals showed evidence of eating large amounts of salmon, according to François Lanoë, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, whose team made the discovery.

The finding was unusual because the dogs weren’t found in areas where salmon is naturally available.

“Which in that part of Alaska suggests that people fed that salmon to the animals,” Lanoë said. “These animals were eating salmon for a big part of the year, probably relying on stored salmon, salmon that people caught in the summer and dried for use during the winter.”

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