 Jack Russell Their hair comes in all varieties too - tight wound curls, harsh and spiky, silky soft waves, even hairless. The characteristics of dogs are as diverse as their looks. The breeds include dogs that are fierce, friendly, lap-dogs, fighters, working dogs - by selective breeding over the centuries, man has shaped the genus canis to his own requirements.
Our present breeds are the result of our desire for dogs of a certain type. Small, sharp dogs as ratters, bloodhounds for tracking and scent, collies to round up sheep and cattle and small lap dogs to share our bedrooms, guard us while we slept and sit on our knee and make us feel better.
So there is a reason behind the breeds. From before the Middle Ages the importance of the dog was recognised. In the years that followed the dog gradually became additionally appreciated as a friend and companion.
Throughout all the centuries of man's development, the dog has been instrumental in our survival. We have depended on him more than we at present seem to recognise. But in life, everything must change. We don't want a dog to fight off predators. We go in a car to fetch our own food. What about the dog going out hunting for us? No way, it's banned anyway. For years he has tracked prey and fed us, he has scented our enemies and protected us. Now we have security systems and cctv cameras. We have an organised society and we don't really need him any more. Or do we?
What is the dog's role in society today? This should be considered carefully because it is only relatively recently that the our interaction with the dog has changed. They used to know freedom. They used to look after us. Now dogs live by rules and they can rarely be free in our regulated society. Some dogs aren't let off the lead outside from puppy to the last injection.
In the western world the relationship between man and dog has changed dramatically over the last fifty years. We've been dependant on dogs for millenia. Now Dogs are totally dependant on us.
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