It’s no secret that it’s dogs that hold the title of man’s best friend, and they have for quite some time now. But before they became the lazy, unbearably cute and seemingly always snackish creatures we now share our sofas with, they were animals confidently roaming the wild. (Yes, that’s probably difficult to imagine looking at your dog trying to break free of yet another weird position or place it found itself stuck in.)
Nowadays, every dog owner’s camera roll is brimming with proof of said critter being a human’s loyal companion. But if you’d like to see some images dating tens if not hundreds of years back, scroll down to find some of the best posts shared by ‘A History Of Dogs’ Instagram account, and enjoy.
Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interviews with the creator of the Instagram account, as well as the professor and chair of Florida Gulf Coast University's department of Biological Sciences, Charles Gunnels, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about domesticated animals.
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This Is The Official Nasa Portrait For Now Retired Astronaut Leland Melvin
The story behind this is fun, too. In short: Astronauts always took photos with family members. Animals however were not allowed, so with some help he sneaked them on the premises and had to prevent them from barking, had quickly the photo taken and the helper got the dogs off the premises in a flash.
An Award Winning Photographer, Piccoli Is A Master At Capturing Dogs In Motion
A Caribou Inuit Girl Holds Her Canadian Eskimo Puppy
Created roughly five years ago, ‘A History Of Dogs’ has already amassed close to 140k followers on Instagram, who enjoy seeing fun dog pictures from different time periods pop up in their feed. If you’re curious to learn how it all started, the reason was pretty simple—the mastermind behind the account simply put together the two things they love most.
“I'm a dog lover and history buff so combining the two was fun for me,” they told Bored Panda in a recent interview. “I enjoy the storytelling and research involved in each post. I wish I had more time to do it.”
The Final Exam For German Police Service Dogs To Remain Calm In Front Of A Cat, 1987
The TV Reporter Gerd Ruge Interviews Bastian, The English Basset Belonging To West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, In Front Of The West German Parliament In Bonn, Germany, On June 4, 1972
Discussing the possible reasons why people seem to enjoy browsing historical pictures of dogs, the creator of the Instagram account suggested that netizens like learning something new. “Many didn't know there were dogs on the Titanic, or that there's a dog mummy at the Egyptian Museum, or that Reykjavík banned dogs for 60 years,” they pointed out.
“Kitten And Foster Mother” Photo Postcard C. 1915
“All Ears.” NYC, 1980
Tatler Magazine, London, May 16, 1928
It will likely come as no surprise, but the dog enthusiast creator of the Instagram account is a dog owner themselves. “Dogs are the best,” they said, adding one of their favorite stories about their pet:
“I used to have a terrible boss. When I brought my well-trained, fully potty-trained dog to my boss's studio for the first time, he walked in and immediately took a piss on my boss's personal bag. I was apologetic, but I know why my dog did it. Who else would do that? No one. Definitely not my cat, even though I love him a lot too.”
Knife Grinders In France In The Early 1900s. The Workers Laid Face Down To Save Their Backs From Being Hunched Over All Day. They Brought Their Dogs To Lay On Their Legs For Warmth
Fully-Packed Londoners Leave Town, Carrying Golf Clubs And A Happy Dog, For An Easter Holiday Break In 1930
Betty White At Home With Her Dog, 1957
Betty White was always a huge animal advocate. I read somewhere that she said she got it from her father, who had a huge soft spot for animals, was always rescuing strays, and bringing them home to foster and adopt out. She grew up helping him with the animals they were caring for, and that set the tone for her lifelong commitment to animal welfare. One helluva cool lady. RIP Betty!
Any dog owner would likely agree that even when their critter finds themself in some sort of a pickle or does something they shouldn’t have done (like peeing on their boss’s bag, for instance), they can look awfully cute. According to the biology professor Dr. Charles Gunnels, we often find animals’ goofy behavior to be quite adorable because we have co-evolved to domestic animals the same way domestic animals have evolved to us.
“Much of the research has focused on domestic animals having evolved to us. For example, a recent study found that dogs—and not wolves—evolved a muscle above their eyes that allows them to raise their ‘eyebrows’ in a similar fashion to human facial expression. The follow-up study has not been completed yet, but I would expect that people show a strong preference for dogs that can produce this signal.”
In 1968, The Beatles Released The White Album, And With It, A Song Called “Martha My Dear.” It Was Inspired By And Written About Martha, Mccartney’s Dog
Dog School, California, Ca. 1929
Manchester Terrier With Cape, 1905
You 'will' treat me with the respect to which I am entitled.
It’s difficult to say when exactly dogs started drifting away from their predecessors, wolves, but some sources suggest that it’s a process that likely started roughly 40,000 years ago.
“Humans and the willingness to associate with humans is the most important difference between wild animals and their domestic counterparts. Animals that were willing to associate and interact with humans made the first steps towards domestication,” Dr. Gunnels suggested, pointing out that those which avoided humans remained wild.
“The domestication process and the willingness to associate or avoid humans is the first—and I would argue—the most important piece in the domestication process. You cannot domesticate animals that actively avoid humans. This final statement may be overly simplistic, but it is true.”
Dog Eating Ice Cream Cone Hidden Behind Boy’s Back. New York, 1949
The Concierge’s Dog. Paris, 1929. Photo By André Kertész
Charging Thunder, A Sioux Native American From Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
“Honestly, I think that humans have co-evolved preferences for animals that are important in their lives, such as pets and other domestic animals,” Dr. Gunnels said, suggesting that people clearly benefit from their presence.
“There is tons of evidence that shows a positive effect of pets on people; pets are associated with physiological, mental, and behavioral improvements in people. This does not mean that pets benefit everyone, but pets have clear positive effects on many,” the expert added.
Henri Matisse, His Dog, And His Monstera
A Dalmatian With A Disney Artist At The Walt Disney Studio In Burbank
Dog Of Randall The Jeweler, Ca. 1875
The positive influence pets have on us is likely why so many people enjoy browsing animal-related content. “It would make sense that humans have strong preferences for something that they have benefited from throughout recent (10,000+ year) history.”
Discussing what affects the well-being of the animal itself, the professor of biology suggested that three main factors tend to influence animal behavior the most, which are health and well-being, social environment, and genetics and how genes interact with the environment.
A Woman And Her Dog In Harlem, NY. 1943
Portrait Of Harold Lloyd Sitting And Holding His Dog Specks In His Lap. The Dog And Harold Are Wearing Matching Eyeglasses. Date Unknown
18-Year-Old Alice Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt's Eldest Daughter, In 1902 With Her Dog, Leo, A Long-Haired Chihuahua
I love this woman. Apparently, she was wild. Wore trousers (gasp!), smoked, drank, gambled. Her dad - the President - once said 'I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both'.
If dog content is something you enjoy, you have definitely found yourself in the right place, as we have plenty more in store for you; continue to Bored Panda’s category dedicated entirely to them and see for yourself.
Happy scrolling!
4th Century Bce Greek Mug. Located At The National Etruscan Museum Of Villa Giulia
Jackie Robinson, His Dog, And His Wife Rachel At Their Home In Stamford, Connecticut, Shortly After He Was Voted Into The Baseball Hall Of Fame In 1962
I giggled because the title mentioned the dog before the wife.
Photos Of Chilean Riot Dog Rucio Capucha. Rucio, A Stray Dog, Frequently Joined Protests, And Became A Target Of Deliberate Police Violence. After Being Injured By A Police Water Cannon During A Protest In Santiago, He Was Adopted By A Family
People And Their Dog In Nebraska
Writer Kurt Vonnegut And His Dog Pumpkin
On June 19, 1944, W.n. Ely`s American Foxhound, Lena, Of Ambler, Pa., Gave Birth To 23 Healthy Puppies. It Was Her First Litter, And It Gave Her The World Record For The Largest Litter Of Puppies To Survive
When asked to comment, Lena said, "I'll be happier when they start sleeping through the night".
Konrad The Dachshund Sits On Some Of His Winnings From The Gaines Dog Food “Lucky Dog” Contest, 1949
In 1966, Life Magazine Featured A Photo Essay About Bellybutton, A 3-Year-Old Shorthaired Pointer With Amazing Underwater Abilities. He Could Go As Deep As 20 Feet And Would Remain Submerged For Up To 15 Seconds
This Photograph Was Probably Taken By Either William E. Baker Or James Larry Johnson, Photographers Who Operated A Photographic Studio At 116 1/2 Dexter Avenue In Montgomery, Alabama, From The 1910s To The 1930s
Johnny Lunchbucket And Friend - "A" Train To Brooklyn, New York, 1940s
On March 16, 1938, Hyde Park’s Own Shepherd LED His Sheep Along The Serpentine Pathway To New Grazing Grounds Elsewhere In The London Park. His Dog Has Taken To The Water To Prevent The Sheep From Swimming Away
A Bronze Statue Of A Dog Named Rex, Lying On A Stone Platform Engraved With His Name. Rex Was The Faithful Companion Of John E. Stow, One Of The City’s Longest Practicing Fruit Merchants, Who Died In 1884
In 1942, Pepito Von Zalez Became The First Chihuahua To Climb Mount Everest
Was that even healthy for the wee thing? Or is this a joke that just zoomed over my head here at ground elevation?
A "Dog's Bar" In Paris, Maintained At Claridge's Hotel In The Champs Élysées
The Year Was 1962, The Mets Played Terribly, And Their Original Official Mascot Was A Floppy-Eared Beagle Named Homer
As Ashley Grew, Stein Realized The Precocious Pup’s Talents For Catching Flying Discs
In later years it was rumoured that Ashley had caught an alien spaceship.
Steven Tyler, His Mother, And His Dog
At The Dawn Of Sound In Motion Pictures, A New Genre Of Short Films With Synchronized Sound Called "Talkies" Became Popular.“ In Response, Mgm Studios Came Up With “Barkies.”
Bluey Was A Female Australian Cattle Dog Born On June 7, 1910. She Herded Cattle And Sheep For 20 Years
Family Portrait
Woman Hailing A Cab In New York City, 1956
An Afghan Hound In A Saab, 1960s
Dog On The Cover Of Life Magazine
Humphrey Bogart And His Third Wife, Mayo Methot, With Their Dog, 1944
Children Pose On The Front Lawn Of The White House For A Picture With Laddie Boy, The Harding Family Pet Airedale Terrier
The Greyhound Bus Company Might Have Been Founded In 1914, But It Didn't Adopt The Greyhound Name Until 1929
A Grave At The Pet Memorial Park In Wantagh, New York
Note: this post originally had 90 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
