The first dinosaur canids appeared about 50 million years ago. These early dogs looked like wolves and foxes. But about 30,000 years ago, wild dogs began living with people.

Nobody knows how the first wild dogs became friends with humans. Maybe a hunter found a wolf cub and made it a pet rather than dinner. But dogs and mankind quickly became good friends. We give dogs food and a home. In return, dogs work for us.

Dogs help hunters kill game and help farmers protect livestock. Dogs pull carts and sledges, and protect property and people. Dogs can also track stolen property and lost people.

Because they are so useful, domestic dogs are nicknamed 'man's best friend'.

True or false?

1 Dogs are carnivores.

2 Dogs have about a dozen teeth.

3 The first dogs appeared 10,000 years ago.

African hunting dogs

Fill in the gaps with the following words:

babysit, hunters, bush, travel

African hunting dogs live in the African _______________. These endangered animals live in big family groups of about 100 dogs.

These wild dogs are the best _______________ in Africa. Although they are about the same size as a medium-sized pet dog, African hunting dogs hunt antelope, wildebeest and buffalo.

The secret of their success is that African hunting dogs work in teams. They hunt, eat and sleep together. Also, the adults help _______________ each other's puppies.

Although they are good hunters, these wild dogs are killed by lions, hyenas and cheetahs. To avoid their enemies, African hunting dogs _______________ all the time. The only time they stay in one place is when they have young puppies to take care of.

The life of this wild dog is not an easy one.

Dingos

Find words that mean the following:

ready to eat, nuisances, mixtures

Asian dingos live in Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippines. The ones that live in forests and grasslands hunt rats and rabbits. They also eat ripe fruit and will sometimes eat plants and grass. If they live near people, they will eat leftovers like rice from rubbish dumps.

Australian dingos hunt possums, birds, rabbits and lizards. But if they can, they kill chickens and sheep. Because of this, Australian farmers shoot dingos when they see them. In some states, they are considered pests.

Dingos have a lot in common with wolves and pet dogs. Dingos breed once a year like wolves. But they can interbreed with pet dogs. Today, more than one third of Australia's dingos are crossbreeds.

Jackals

Choose the correct alternative:

Golden jackals live in the grasslands of Africa, the Middle East and south Asia. Jackals mate/maid for life and live in small family groups. Older puppies help their parents hunt and look after younger puppies.

Jackals hunt small animals like rabbits, rats, chickens and lizards. But these small wild dogs are bullied by bigger predators. Hyenas and lions wait until jackals have caught something, and then steal/steel it from them. So when lions and hyenas are close by, jackals hide their prey by burying it.

Jackals eat whenever they can. When their pray/prey is stolen from then/them, these wild dogs eat carrion and plants. Golden jackals that live near people also eat food from rubbish dumps.

Hong Kong's feral dogs

Every year people dump unwanted dogs in Hong Kong's forests and fields. Some people think that pets have special instincts that help them survive in the wild. But this is not true.

A pet dog doesn't know how to hunt, find shelter, or look after itself. Just think: how would you feel if you were dumped in the forest? Could you find food, water and shelter? Pets feel the same way.

Some abandoned dogs in Hong Kong have formed packs. Living together means they are less lonely and less afraid. Also, living together helps them find food more easily.

But packs of wild dogs upset the balance of nature. Abandoned dogs kill wild birds and small animals like civets.

Every year Hong Kong authorities catch and kill more than 20,000 abandoned dogs. Make sure you aren't part of the problem: never abandon your pet.

fab fact!

Asian red dogs or dholes are only 90cm tall. But because they hunt in packs, they can kill tigers and bears

fab fact!

The Ethiopian wolf that lives in Africa is the rarest canid in the world.

There are less than 550 left

compare!

The racoon dog that lives in northern China and Europe has a black mask and grey stripes. It looks just like racoons that live in North America. However, racoon dogs are canids, whereas racoons are related to ringtails and honey bears

now do this

Answer the following questions. To test your memory, try answering without referring to the text. If you can't remember the details, read the piece again.

1 Domestic dogs are nicknamed ...

a. man's best friend

b. man's closest pal

c. the people's friend

2 African hunting dogs are ...

a. common

b. extinct

c. endangered

3 Dingos live in ...

a. North and South America

b. Asia and Australia

c. Europe and Africa

4 Golden jackals have their food stolen by ...

a. tigers and lions

b. lions and hyenas

c. racoon dogs

5 Which canids are considered pests?

a. African hunting dogs

b. dingos

c. golden jackals

6 How many abandoned dogs are caught and killed every year in Hong Kong?

a. about 20,000

b. about 100,000

c. about 200,000

Look online for more about canids

National Geographic Dingos

Fact files and pictures, plus great articles on African hunting dogs, jackals, and how pet dogs evolved from wolves.

Nationmaster Canids

Click on the blue links to see pictures and more information on true dogs as well as foxes.

Hong Kong SPCA

Learn more about abandoned dogs in Hong Kong, find out how you can help, and win prizes for essay competitions.

Answers:

June 17

Jellyfish: 1. F, 2. T, 3. T

Nudibranchs: carnivores, new, nasty-tasting, bright

Starfish: pest, except, splitting, backbone

Frilled shark: carnivore, living, front, slow

Quiz: 1. a, 2. b, 3. c, 4. b, 5. c