A Complete Fossil of a Dog

During the Neolithic, humans moved out of caves and established early settlements of thatched huts near water, engaging in agriculture and sheep raising

A complete fossil of a dog that had been neither killed nor eaten was discovered in a settlement in Europe from this period, and is believed to have been a domesticated dog.

 Neatly laid-out dog bones from Neolithic burial sites recently excavated in Europe also show that at this time dogs were already greatly treasured by people.

From the time humans realized that domesticated dogs could be useful and started to catch wild puppies, selection   for   desired   physical and behavioral   characteristics began in order to make the dogs better suited to certain tasks.

Over centuries, these manmade modifications resulted in a number of recognizable doc breeds with distinct characteristics.

 Today, some 350 dog   breeds are recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI), headquartered in Belgium, but considering that a number of national kennel clubs still are not FCI members, the total number of recognizable breeds probably approaches five hundred.