Latest DNA evidence suggests that ancient North Siberians began domesticating dogs about 20,000 years ago before following human migrations eastwards to the Americas and westwards across Eurasia

As humans move from a hunter-gatherer society, the role of dogs shifts from hunting companions to guardians of the herds and lands of the first farmers

Ancient Egyptians are believed to be the first culture to put collars on dogs, ornate designs denoting the status of dogs in Ancient Egyptian society, where they also adapted special laws to protect their dogs from ill treatment.

While it would be several hundred years before any breed was officially recognized, selective breeding for certain aesthetic and behavioral traits in dogs is believed to have started in medieval England

In one of the most groundbreaking experiments in cognitive behavioral science, Isaac Pavlov published the results of his operant conditioning study, commonly known as Pavlov's Dogs, in 1890

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, now one of the world's largest and most well-known animal welfare organizations, was founded in 1866 by Henry Bergh after witnessing treatment of work horses in Czarist Russia

Keller and Marian Breland, students of renowned psychologist B.F. Skinner, continued their mentor's work on operant conditioning. Together, they started Animal Behavior Enterprises, the first commercial venture based on the conditioning of animal behavior through positive reinforcement

With the rise of the home television set, the mid 1900's saw some of pop-cultures most popular canine stars, from the heroic Lassie, to the iconic Toto, and finally, to the first mixed breed dog to appear on the silver screen - Benji

The first formal research involving animal therapy was started by Dr. Boris Levinson, who laid the ground work for the study, training, and dispersion of therapy dogs as emotional support animals, guide animals, and more.

Dr. L. David Mech authored a study in 1968 that posited that dogs were essentially wolves in that they were pack animals, resulting in the concept of Pack Theory. The same Dr. Mech withdrew the conclusions of the study, citing that dog's do not fit into the Alpha and pack mentality exhibited by their lupine cousins

The COVID-19 pandemic shook the world in 2020, and as humans stayed home, more dogs were brought into human homes than ever before in history.