First Companion: In Homer's poem 'Odyssey', Odysseus has a loyal dog - Argos. Leaving Argos, Odysseus sets off for the Trojan War. Argos waits unwaveringly for Odysseus to return. However, it takes 20 years for Odysseus to return. Odysseus comes in disguise to avoid the enemy.

Argos recognizes him as soon as he sees him. Argos, worn out by old age, tries to get up but cannot. He wags his tail from afar, sheds tears and gives up his life. It is rare to find a human culture that does not have such stories/myths about the deep friendship between dogs and humans.

The oldest friend of man on this earth is the dog. Researchers say that this friendship is at least 30 thousand years old. However, in the beginning, we were both separate. He was an aggressive wolf. We were just wandering hunters wandering in small packs in some corners of the earth. This was the point of that companionship, which over time rejuvenated both of us. We became modern humans and the forest wolf became a house dog. This story of companionship is recorded in myth, archaeology, fossils and genetic evidence.

The footprints of a child and a wolf-dog (primitive dog) found in the Sove Cave have been traced. In the approximately 150-yard-long trail, the footprints are together, not one after the other. That is, humans and dogs are together. They are friends, not enemies. This is a rare ‘snapshot’ of human-dog companionship. This footprint is about 26,000 years old. There is much archaeological evidence of such primitive dogs. However, irrefutable evidence has been found that wolves have completely transformed into dogs since 15,000 years ago. 

Survival for the Friendliest 

We understand evolution as ‘survival of the fittest’. However, in evolution, it is not always the strongest that survives and survives. Sometimes evolution ‘favors’ qualities such as cooperation, sociability, and empathy. Creatures that show such characters and behaviors find it easier to survive in a certain environment and expand their lineage. Some experts have called it ‘survival of the friendliest’. The interspecies cooperation between humans and wolves is an example of this.

Because two separate species like humans and wolves are not suitable partners for cooperation, they are competitors to each other. But the two creatures did not fight, but became close through friendly and social behavior. It is not clear who took the initiative. However, the most social, somewhat gentle and affectionate wolves in the group may have come to the settlement seeking the company of humans. The presence of Juthelno near the human camp may have attracted him.

Even among humans, the group that was tolerant of wolves did not attack him. This ‘casual dating’ gradually progressed into a relationship of mutual benefit. Both became useful to each other. Along with this, both of them brought each other to this form by ‘selective breeding’ over thousands of years. In this process, humans dramatically changed the appearance and behavior of wolves. They became more tolerant and friendly towards humans than their ancestors.

Along with this, the body and behavior of wolves changed. The color of their body fur became more diverse. The ears became longer and curlier. The tail became bushy and started wagging. Within a few generations, they became more loyal, close and affectionate towards humans than their aggressive ancestors. During domestication, not only their shape and behavior changed, but also their psychology. Dogs became able to understand human facial expressions, read eye movements, and behave according to the heartbeat of their friends. And, they became unable to leave the company of humans.

In this process, not only did dogs change, we also changed. They also ‘customized’ our bodies and behavior to suit them. They provided strong support to humans in hunting. Let's look at an example to understand how important this was - even today, among the nomadic hunting groups in the Alpine region, the hunting success rate of groups with dogs is 56 percent higher than that of those without dogs. In that era, this was an extremely important aspect for any human group to survive. Therefore, there was no alternative to being tolerant of dogs, whether they wanted to or not. 

This changed the nature, behavior, and psychology of man. Sympathy/empathy began to intensify in him. The initiative for cooperation and collectivism increased. He began to believe in friendship. Only a person with this quality could relate to a dog. Whoever maintained a strong relationship with a dog, his life became easier. Thus, during this long journey together, both changed each other's body and mind to their own liking.

Moreover, man 'domesticated' the dog and the dog domesticated man together. This incident added a brick to the foundation of the civilization built by man. Food was not always easy in that world covered in snow. In such a situation, man made dogs his food. He understood that if he could provide shelter to animals near him, it would be easier to survive in an emergency. Perhaps, this was the embryo of the thinking of human ancestors who raised animals and did agricultural work. Needless to say, the agricultural revolution was the foundation of human civilization. 

Myth also says that the city of Rome was founded by two twins named Romulus and Remus. They were thrown into the Tiber River in their infancy with the intention of killing both of them. However, by chance, they both survived. They were saved by being breastfed by a she-wolf. However, in all the statues, figures and statues that suckled Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf carved on them is undoubtedly a dog.

The short snout, floppy ears and small head confirm this. Myth is the smoke of history. This smoke has arisen from the history of the company that stands at the foundation of civilization and culture. During this long journey, the dog became the watchman of our settlement, a hunting companion, a shepherd of the sheepfold, a guardian of children, a watchman of the house. 

There is no human community in the world that has not received this companionship of a dog. About 20,000 years ago, a herd of people crossed the natural strait called the Bering Strait and went to America, and the ice age ended. The natural strait was buried in water. After 20,000 years, the descendants of these two groups met each other. At that time, the only domestic animal common to both groups was the dog. There was no place and human life in this world that was not accompanied by dogs. 

Companionship to the afterlife

After the Mahabharata war, Yudhishthira walked to heaven with his brother and wife. On the way, a dog followed them. Except for Yudhishthira and the dog, everyone else died on the way. Indra came to the gate of heaven with his chariot to welcome Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira tried to take the dog with him, but Indra did not agree. However, Yudhishthira reiterated that he would not leave the dog under any circumstances. Dharmaraj was in the guise of a dog. He had come to test Yudhishthira's religion. During his stay, the dog's companionship with man became so strong that he sought the companionship of a dog not only in this world but also in the afterlife. 

A 12,000-year-old tomb found in the Jordan Valley has found the skeleton of a puppy along with a man. During this period, dog skeletons have been found in many human tombs from northern Europe to Asia and America. Dogs have been kept with the deceased in the pyramids of Egypt.

The remains of other animals have not been found in human tombs. However, only certain parts of animals other than dogs have been buried symbolically and figuratively. The presence of dogs in death rituals and the widespread presence of dogs' entire bodies in prehistoric tombs is not just a coincidence. Undoubtedly, people wanted the companionship of their best friend in the afterlife as well. Over a long period of time, man has transformed into a social, cultural and religious being. Let's say, he has become 'Homo sapiens' from 'Homo religious'.

There may not be a simple answer or a single reason for this. However, the death contemplation of a person who is bewildered by the irrefutable truth of death may be one of many reasons. The reason and the center of this contemplation are seen in the company of humans and dogs. From religious rituals to rituals, dogs have become an integral part. Especially in every culture, they are with humans in the afterlife as well. Somehow they have become a bridge between this world and the afterlife. In the Hellenic culture of Greece, Hades is the god of the underworld.

He has two dogs as his gatekeepers. There is a story that Hercules killed him. Among the American Indians, dogs are considered friends of humans and protectors of the soul. On the other hand, the Egyptian goddess Anubis has the head of a dog. She is the protector of the underworld. She is also the goddess of the knowledge of making dead bodies 'mummies' and keeping them intact for a long time.

Not only in Greece, but also in the geography of Eurasia, there are myths about dogs being the gatekeepers of Hades. In many Bronze Age tombs from China to Britain, a tradition of burying dogs near the west door of a house has been found. West is the direction in which the sun sets. It is considered the gate to the afterlife. Here too, dogs have been the gatekeepers of the crossroads of life and death. This belief is also widespread in Indian culture. According to the Rigveda, the two main messengers of Yamaraj are Shyam and Sabal dogs. They carry the soul of a person to the afterlife. On the third day of Yama Panchak, dogs are worshipped in memory of them. This is also a manifestation of gratitude towards their best friend.

The Persian text 'Avesta' also connects dogs with God Yama. Avestan culture considers dogs to be the second most intelligent creature after humans. If a person is absent in the death rituals performed according to Avestan rituals, a dog can be placed in his place.

Ajmar Saath 

The next brightest celestial body in the sky after the sun and June is Cyrus, the hunter star. It is also called the Dogstar. According to Greek myth, Cyrus was loyal to his master Orion. One day, Orion died after being bitten by a scorpion. He was pinned down and stuck in the sky. He became the constellation Orion (the old man) in the sky. Cyrus did not stop following his master. Seeing this, the goddess of the hunt Artemis took pity on Cyrus (she always appears as a dog in her statues). She placed Cyrus in the sky with his master. He continued to shine as a star.