Humanity’s Best Friend: A Dog-Centric Approach to Addressing Global Challenges

• Main Authors: Sykes, Naomi, Beirne, Piers, Horowitz, Alexandra, Jones, Ione, Kalof, Linda, Karlsson, Elinor, King, Tammie, Litwak, Howard, McDonald, Robbie A., Murphy, Luke John, Pemberton, Neil, Promislow, Daniel, Rowan, Andrew, Stahl, Peter W., Tehrani, Jamshid, Wynne, Clive D. L., Strauss, Eric G., Larson, Greger
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School 2020
• Subjects: Strategic Development Goals; dog domestication; sustainable development; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_pub/31; https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/context/cures_pub/article/1022/viewcontent/animals_10_00502_v2.pdf

No other animal has a closer mutualistic relationship with humans than the dog (Canis familiaris). Domesticated from the Eurasian grey wolf (Canis lupus), dogs have evolved alongside humans over millennia in a relationship that has transformed dogs and the environments in which humans and dogs have co-inhabited. The story of the dog is the story of recent humanity, in all its biological and cultural complexity. By exploring human-dog-environment interactions throughout time and space, it is possible not only to understand vital elements of global history, but also to critically assess our present-day relationship with the natural world, and to begin to mitigate future global challenges. In this paper, co-authored by researchers from across the natural and social sciences, arts and humanities, we argue that a dog-centric approach provides a new model for future academic enquiry and engagement with both the public and the global environmental agenda.