Prehistoric women had 'soft corner' for dogs

A new study has revealed that women in a forested area around 8,000 years ago were more involved in caring for dogs.

The findings revealed that dogs weren't just man's best friend in prehistoric times but some women during the Early Neolithic period, and likely their children too, also lived very canine-centric lives, the Discovery reported.

Andrea Waters-Rist, Leiden University archaeologist, said that it was probable that females were more concerned about taking care for the dogs; possibly they often fed them, organized living quarters for them, and cleaned up after them.

He further explained that it was quiet possible that people and dogs were living side by side in the boreal forest camp, moreover men used them in many everyday tasks, which would make them an important part to the group as they are to many people today.

Researchers found that some dogs in the Siberian cemeteries were buried with implements such as spoons and stone knives; in fact, one dog was even interred wearing a necklace.

The researchers suggested that dogs and humans at other places worldwide could have been equally close during prehistoric times, but proof of such connections could be harder to find where populations were low.

Robert Losey, a University of Alberta anthropologist, explained that dog burials tend to be more common finds in regions where diets were rich in aquatic foods, because such spots generally had denser human populations.

However, the Siberian dog burials strongly suggested that the canines were valued for more than just their hunting, guarding, and other probable work efforts in the early times.

The study is published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.