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We rarely think about dogs because they are a common and familiar part of our lives. The relationship we share with dogs, on the other hand, is possibly the most telling and intricate human-animal relationship we have. For thousands of years, dogs have been a part of human society.

They were the first domesticated animals on every continent, tamed and bred until genetically distinct from their wild forefathers. They have virtually shared human history since its beginnings as workers and companions. Not only have changes in history influenced how we treat dogs but the species itself has been influenced by direct human intervention. They are both parts of human history and have their own stories to tell.

Since before the written word was invented, dogs have been a part of human history. The ancient temple of Gobekli-Tepe in Turkey, which dates back at least 12,000 years BCE, has provided archaeologists with evidence of domesticated dogs in the Middle East, matching the earliest evidence of domestication.

Footprints of a young child walking alongside a dog have been discovered in the earth of the Chauvet Cave in southern France, dating from 26,000 years ago. A 2008 CE study concluded that dogs were domesticated in Europe between 32,000 and 18,800 years ago, with the world’s oldest dog remaining dating to 31,700 years ago (Viegas, 1). This Paleolithic dog had a Siberian Husky-like appearance (Viegas, 1). However, the findings of the 2008 study are called into question by dog remains discovered in Belgium’s Goyet Caves, which dates back at least 36,500 years.

Regardless of how old the first dog was or how they became domesticated, they became and have stayed buddies with people throughout history. Dogs figured substantially in many ancient cultures and were mainly regarded in the same manner today. Dogs were regarded as loyal companions, hunters, guards, spirit guides, and cherished family members.

On the first epic from the Near East, The Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia (dated to 2150-1400 BCE), dogs play a prominent role as the companions of one of the region’s most beloved goddesses, Innana (Ishtar), who travels with seven treasured hunting dogs in a collar and leash. Although the dog collar is attributed to Egypt, it was most likely invented in Sumer.

The invention of the dog collar is thought to have occurred immediately after dogs were domesticated, which appeared in Mesopotamia before Egypt. A golden pendant of a dog (obviously a Saluki) dating from 3300 BCE was discovered in the Sumerian city of Uruk. A cylinder seal from Nineveh (about 3000 BCE) also portrays a Saluki. The dog pendant has a broad collar, which is typical of dog collars at the time.

The goddess’s spouse, Dumuzi keeps tamed dogs as part of his royal escort in the legendary Descent of Innana (a myth regarded older than and not a part of Gilgamesh). The goddess descends into the underworld. Dogs played an essential role in Mesopotamia’s daily life.

In Mesopotamian art, dogs are shown as both hunters and friends. Dogs were kept in the home and loved, in the same manner, today by loving families. Plaques and inscriptions show dogs waiting for their masters and listening to people playing music.

Dogs guarded the home, and amulets depicting canines, such as the one from Uruk shown above, were worn for personal protection. For their protective qualities, the famed Nimrud Dogs, clay sculptures of dogs discovered in the city of Kalhu, were buried under or near the thresholds of buildings. Five more dog figurines have been found in the remains of Nineveh, with inscriptions describing how these sculptures were imbued with the dog’s protective power.

Furthermore, the “gods of therapeutics” mentioned by von Soden were deities associated with health and healing, most notably the goddess Gula, who was frequently represented with her dog. Dog saliva was thought to be medicinal since it was discovered that it helped to speed up the healing process when dogs licked their wounds.

The ancient Persians also equated dogs with divinity. The Vendidad part of the Avesta (Zoroastrian texts) goes into great detail about the benefits of dogs, how they should be handled, the consequences for people who abuse dogs, and how such abuse – or, conversely, caring – will affect one’s final location in the afterlife. Dogs were thought to guard the portal between the worlds of the living and the dead, and how one treated a dog in one’s life impacted one’s chances of reaching paradise.

The soul crossed the Chinvat Bridge after death to be judged. Suppose the soul had lived a righteous life per the commandments of truth. The way one treated pets significantly impacted where one’s soul went, and killing a dog secured a spot in the House of Lies.

Dogs were encouraged to be treated with the same respect as other humans. For example, an injured dog should be nursed back to health, a pregnant dog should be treated as if she were one’s daughter, and her puppies should be cared for at least six months after birth before being adopted. In addition, dogs were given human-like funerary rites and played a crucial role in human mortuary rituals; they were brought into the chamber to examine the newly deceased, probably because of their ability to feel things that people couldn’t certify that the person was dead.

The Saluki, Sarabi Mastiff, Alabai (Central Asian Sheepdog), Afghan, and Kurdish Mastiff were Persian dog breeds. They were employed for hunting, guarding, and herding sheep and being treated as pets. Dogs were to be treated with respect and consideration because their souls were supposed to be made up of one-third wild beast, one-third human, and one-third divine. During daily meals, it was customary to set aside three morsels of food for one’s dog as a token of appreciation for their company.

Other civilizations investigate the dog’s relationship with the gods and the dog’s loyalty to humans. For example, the dog was associated with the dog-jackal god Anubis in ancient Egypt, who guided the departed’s soul to the Hall of Truth, where it would be judged by the great god Osiris. The rationale behind burying domesticated dogs with a big ceremony in the temple of Anubis at Saqqara seemed to enable the departed dogs to pass on easily to the afterlife (known in Egypt as the Field of Reeds) may continue to enjoy their lives as they had on earth.

Abuwtiyuw, the most famous dog interred in this manner, was honored with a spectacular burial near the Giza plateau during the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE). Abuwtiyuw was the dog of an unidentified king’s servant (whose identity is likewise unknown), whose limestone memorial tablet was unearthed by Egyptologists.

Although Abuwtiyuw was particularly revered, dogs, in general, were regarded as family members in Egypt. Therefore, when one died, the family would have the dog mummified with the same care as a human member of the family if they could afford it.

When a dog died, the family would shave their eyebrows to show their sorrow (as they also did with their cats). The pharaoh Rameses the Great is depicted in tomb paintings with his hunting dogs (probably in the Field of Reeds). Dogs were frequently buried alongside their owners to provide this kind of afterlife companionship. Inscriptions that have been preserved in Egypt reveal the close affinity between dogs and their masters.