It is suggested that dog domestication occurred in Eastern China, south of the Yangtze river around 16,00 years ago (Derr). Throughout history dogs have played an important and =beneficial role in accompanying humans in various forms of practical utilities such as, sheep dogs, hunting dogs, and even serving as livestock. Most of these jobs for dogs are still used to this day even after thousands of years, however in the modern day many new doors have opened for our canine companions, giving them new opportunities to play a bigger and more significant part in society. Some of these circumstances include help in science and research technology, military and security, as well as some therapeutic aspects such as service and comfort dogs. Although …show more content…
However, in the field of science and research, and more specifically conservation science, it is their noses, with their outspoken ability to sniff out almost anything, that have the highest advantages for this type of research. Dogs have an estimated 200 million scent receptors (some breeds have more) compared with a mere five million for humans (Wilson). This piece of data from an article on the increasing role of canines in endangered animal conservation goes to show that it is no question why dogs are now critical members of scientific teams. While searching for individual Asian Black Bears, a vulnerable species that live in the large reserves of China, Alice Whitelaw, the cofounder of Working Dogs for Conservation explains, “The canines train for two to four months, then repeat cycles of three days on, one day off, two days on, one day off. On a typical workday they might cover 15 or more miles in four hours” (Wilson). Some may argue that the amount these dogs are worked, is inhumane or is too much. However, dogs are target animals and have a such an intense drive for certain tasks, that this training is merely a demonstration their intelligence and determination. Also, dogs are one of the few species that have a large stamina factor, more so than cheetahs and other large, fast cats. This means the they can work longer without getting fatigued, which is just what researchers need on their teams. …show more content…
Dogs are used as protection not only in branches of the military, but also in cities that have large centralized systems, such as subways and other major public means of transportation, and have recently been a new addition to the white house security team. When military dogs are first enlisted they undergo months of tough training. They learn things like obedience and how to detect certain scents. Each dog is then paired with a human soldier, called a handler, with whom it forms a deep bond. Then the hard work begins (Walters). Most dogs are not cut out for the extensive and high demand training that the soldiers have them undergo, so many of the canines are selectively bred, and the most common breed for the military is the German Shepherd, for their outstanding sense of smell. However, dogs in the military are the dogs that are the most risk. As explained by Sergeant Greg Massey of the Marines, “In combat situations, dogs often walk far in front of their units to search for hidden bombs, or enter buildings before the troops to see what's inside. Many dogs even parachute out of airplanes with their handlers” (Walters). It is evident that these are all dangerous tasks, that unfortunately result in death sometimes. Many disagree with this service because the dogs primarily