When did people start keeping dogs as pets?

Pets have been harnessed to humans for possibly tens of thousands of years. Regardless of when pet ownership got started, our long attachment to these animals is still going strong. read more

Until recently, many archaeologists and biologists believed that dogs were first domesticated no more than 13,000 years ago, either in East Asia or the Middle East. A burial site in Israel contained the 12,000-year-old remains of an elderly man cradling a puppy. read more

A secret history of pets: Why humans have kept animals as pets since ancient times HUMANS have kept animals as pets since ancient times and now, a new book charts some of the extraordinary facts about our reverence and affection for all kinds of creatures – furry, fishy, feline, equine and canine in all societies and throughout history. read more