On a bright and sunny Sunday morning while mom and dad were busy hunting for food, I was spending some quality time with grandpa. He is a good fourteen years old, proud Indie and can still give all the young dogs a run for their money. He was sitting with a newspaper that someone had forgotten in the park and was reading intently. Suddenly, he looked at me with sheer astonishment and exclaimed, “They found something new! They found where we come from!” I looked over and saw a piece about how two well preserved puppies’ remains were found in Russia in 2015. At this, my mind began to drift to a story he had told me about how dogs came to be so close to humans.

Picture Credits: Wikipedia

Once upon a time, our great ancestor Gray, the grey wolf, was searching for food in the vast snow covered peaks of Europe. He had been searching for days without any success and was tired. Breathless and starved, he came across a village of hunter gatherer humans. Mesmerised by the smell of food coming from the shed, he looked both ways and bravely ventured in. Inside, ravenously devouring the meat, was a member of a species that looked just like him. He was taken aback for he hadn’t seen a fellow wolf for days. He let out a growl to make his presence felt. She turned to face him. Hers were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. He was enchanted. The female regarded him with astonished eyes for she too hadn’t met anyone like herself in a long time. Her name was Tai, the Taimyr wolf. She offered him a piece of meat with a warm smile and the awkwardness lifted. As they ate, she told Gray about herself. Alone and independent, she often wandered into the hunters’ villages. They were used to seeing her, and she them. Sometimes they even petted her and fed her. Gray was surprised by the daring nature of this beautiful creature. Over time, they began to see each other more often. They became close friends and shared secrets and the little joys of life. As time passed, the wolves began to stay in the village more, treasuring the attention they got from the humans.

After a year of being together, Tai and Gray had a litter of pups. They looked different, less fierce, all cute and cuddly. The humans loved them and one of them named them ‘dogs’.  The pups grew up entirely in the village surrounded by people and loved by them. This was the start of the unlikely friendship between man and canine.

Picture Credits: Bookpalace

I had dozed off while reminiscing about my ancestors. With a lick of a tongue, my mom woke me up and called me to dinner. Grandpa still seemed excited about the new find he had come across in the morning. We had a lovely brunch and relaxed. The story still fascinates me from time to time. I wonder what secrets will be uncovered next!