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Dates when animals were first domesticated or put into service of man are not known with any precision. The dates below are, however, widely accepted by historians and biologists. |
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Dog by 10,000 BC Goat 8,000 BC Cattle 5,500 BC Sheep 5,000 BC Pig 3,000 BC Horse 3,000 BC |
Donkey 3,000 BC Cat 2,000 BC Chicken 2,000 BC Duck 1,500 BC Goose 1,500 BC Rabbit AD 1,000 |
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AUROCHS: The ancestor of European cattle is thought to be aurochs. Although the last known wild one was seen in Poland in 1627, a German biologist, Professor Heinz Heck, re-created the animal in 1932 by crossing domesticated breeds, including Friesian and Highland cattle. |
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Give a Dog a Name |
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The German Shepherd Dog was originally brought to Britain by soldiers returning from the First World War, who had admired the dogs courage and devotion when they carried front-line messages for the Germans. But, because of anti-German feeling, the dogs could not be known by their correct name. So they were named Alsatians from the region of their origin, Alsace-Lorraine - the frontier area between France and Germany - where they were used as sheepdogs. The English version of the breed's correct name was officially restored by the Kennel Club in July 1977, but in some other countries the dogs are still known as Alsatians (also by some 'die-hard' Brits). |
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Doberman dogs get their name from a German tax-collector. Aware of the unpopularity of his job, Ludwig Dobermann, of Apolda in Thuringa, developed in the 1880s an especially fierce breed to help him on his rounds. Today Dobermans are widely used as guard dogs. |
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Chihuahuas are named after the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. They are believed to have been the sacred dogs of the Aztecs, and were sometimes eaten by the Indians in religious ceremonies. |
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Labradors do not come from the Canadian region of Labrador. In fact they come from the neighbouring province of Newfoundland, where they helped fishermen to land their nets. They were introduced to Europe by Canadian fishermen in the 1830s. They are found as golden, shown in the picture, or as black. |
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The Cocker Spaniel originated in 14th century Spain. The first half of its name comes from its use by hunters to flush out woodcock, the second half from the name of its home country. |
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The first Pekinese in Europe were five dogs brought from China after they had been taken from the women's apartments in Peking's Summer Palace during the Boxer Rebellion (1898 - 1900). Before this, the breed had been monopolised by the Chinese royal family, and the theft of a Peke had carried the death penalty. |
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The King Charles spaniel is not a British breed. It was being kept as a pet in Japan as early as 2,000 BC. It gained its common English name (in the USA it is often known as the English Toy spaniel) after it became fashionable in the 17th century court of Charles I. |
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The ever popular Boxer originated in Germany as a hunting dog, mainly for badgers. The name Boxer was adopted owing to the boxing style prance the dog adopted in the hunt occaisionally and, more commonly now, in play. They come as 'brindle' or 'red' although white boxers are now increasing due to not being put down at birth. At one time, all boxers with a large percentage (more than about 15% I think) of white suffered this fate to maintain a standard for breeders and show dogs. |
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