“I point to supper swinging from your jaw. ‘Your dog…he feeds you well?'”
For a time—roughly 35,000 to 45,000 years ago—humans and Neanderthals co-existed in Europe. But humans flourished and Neanderthals died out. Why? Recent archeological evidence suggests that humans had domesticated dogs and benefited from their help in hunting and other tasks, whereas Neanderthals had to do without dogs’ help—which contributed to their dwindling and extinction.
“Humanity’s Best Friend: How Dogs May Have Helped Humans Beat the Neanderthals,” by Megan Garber. The Atlantic, May 14, 2012.
For a longer read, check out Pat Shipman’s fascinating book The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press/Harvard University Press, 2015).