GIVE THANKS FOR THE WOLF

Families develop their own Thanksgiving traditions so this year, give thanks for the mysterious quirk in nature that turned into Service, Guide, Hearing, and Therapy dogs.

Thanksgiving For Wolf-Dog

Barbara J. Andrews, Publisher - TheDogPlace.org

The REAL creation-evolution history of dog, the simple truth scientists just don't get, is how and why meat-eating wolf became PLANT-eating man's best friend.

Your kids won’t learn this in school but knowing really Ancient History is important to who and what we are today.  Before the wolf came to us, life was pretty hard. Early man subsisted on mostly vegetation. Protein was insects, eggs, and small birds or rodents he was learning how to trap. The rest of his meat usually came in the form of a carcass. 

It was hard to keep warm with so little fat in the diet so man migrated southward from the Bering Strait land bridge.

Somewhere along the evolutionary path, man and wolf formed a partnership.  Man became smarter as he began to eat more meat ^{{Ref #1}}. Anthropologists disagree on which came first; the intelligence to stalk and kill fresh meat or the meat protein that allowed greater brain development.  Noting wolf's great teeth, man eventually fashioned weapons with which to kill larger game although nothing like the mastodon he is often portrayed as slaying.

Why did the wolf stay around early man?  No one knows.  Scientists, who don't know squat about wolves and who obviously don't own a dog, say the wolf was lured to man's camp for scraps of food.  That is preposterous!

It is illogical to think that Wolf, great hunter that he was, had any logical reason to hang out with humans, those weakling things that ate plants and insects!  With no disrespect to scientists, it is just as likely that God/Nature designed the wolf to become man's most valuable evolutionary partner.  Wolf's hunting skills provided early man richer protein and fat to nourish a developing brain.  Man shared his kills with wolf and together, they took the fast track, evolving into the highly intelligent and adaptive species we know as dogs today.

Or, as might be pointed out by Creationists, God created wolf and humanoids to be partners and just like that - it was done.   Wolf became dog ^{{Ref #2}} and caveman became us.

So whatever your concept of evolution or creation, give thanks for your dog and for all the things he does for you that you never really think about.  Large or small, your dog is genetically programmed to guard you. The family Chihuahua can’t physically stop an intruder but he forbids entry with non-stop alarm barking. He can’t be coaxed, enticed, or kicked into silence.

Dog knows when you are sick and some therapists believe he has some kind of Reiki-like power that draws the “bad stuff” out of you and at the same time, passes tangible comfort and healing to you.

Ask any recipient of hospital therapy-dog visits.

Epileptics will give special thanks for the seizure-alert dog that gives them freedom to go out and about, knowing their trained partner will alert them in plenty of time to prepare.  Ditto the Hearing Dog that serves as his owner's ears and the Guide dog that gives his blind owner mobility and freedom.

As in ancient times, dogs still put food on the table for sportsmen and by skillfully handling livestock that winds up on your plate.

That life-sustaining food may not include your Thanksgiving centerpiece but ancient man shared with his best friend and you should too.

As you bless the food, start a new holiday tradition. Give thanks for all that your dog does for you 24/7, all year long. He’s one of the few friends who doesn’t ask for or expect your gratitude. He’s happy with just a few scraps from your plate.

As the family relaxes after dinner, let the dog join you.  He evolved (or was created) to be part of the pack.  As he snoozes in the doorway (don't they always?) or on the sofa, watch his ears turn to catch every story, but especially your voice.

[1] How Dogs Changed The Evolution Of Man     [2] The God Myth Examined

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