POST DINNER DRIVEL

The domestication of dogs was hotly debated last night chez Casey and Maria’s. Casey absolutely refused to believe that all domestic dog breeds came from a single wolf-like ancestor. Instead he hypothesized that a long time ago wild breeds of Chihuahuas and Yellow Labs roamed the earth until humans tamed them. As he spoke I tried to imagine a wild pack of Chihuahuas, but had a really hard time doing that without also imagining wild herds of plush, upholstered ottomans and a field of wild squeaky toys. I told him I had read that dogs were domesticated before agriculture some fourteen thousand years ago, but not even three zeros and a comma would crush his skepticism. Finally, Deo (their lab mix) stirred and liked his balls, which pretty much concluded the discussion.