Native Americans & dogs - companions in past centuries

The close, personal bonds between humans and their dogs date back centuries in California, according to new archaeological research that illuminates the relationship between the state's Central Valley Indian tribes and their dogs. The evidence: Central Valley Indians buried their dogs carefully and with ceremony. People and their dogs were often buried together, curled up side by side. Paul Langenwalter, a professor of archaeology and anthropology at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif, has examined dog skeletons dating back to the 1700s. "There are no pet cemetery areas, and we don't find the dog burials on campsites or any place where there aren't human burials," said Langenwalter, who specializes in human and dog relationships among California tribes. "They were buried with the people." Read More . . .