Poor Proto-Dog is so Hungry

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Proto-dogs are not domestic animals, nor are they feral (former domestics who escaped into the wild). They are "landraces", animal species whose genetics are not determined by human breeding choices.

One of the theories of dog domestication is that they began, not with the adopting of wolf pups, but rather, with wolves who half-domesticated themselves. These proto-dogs, also called "Pariah Dogs", followed human around closely and might be taken as puppies and tamed, but were never -bred-.

Those with the instinct not to run from humans profited from scraps thrown out. In exchange, the theory goes, the proto-dogs used their keen senses, far superior to a human's in sensitivity, to hear approaching danger.

These wild dogs still exist the world over. The wild Canaan Dog, the Australian Dingo, and the Carolina Dog are not feral, they are probably proto-dogs.

Strikingly similar to each other, they are less wolf-like than the oldest true dog breeds, which apparently had wolf blood mixed in by humans wanting dogs with more body mass and longer thicker fur. The true dog shows many modifications, including high fiber production (dog fur is the warmest animal fiber in the world) and increased body mass (a grim hint that they were also bred as food animals).

One of the differences between proto-dogs and true dogs is that proto-dogs go into heat only once a year, like wolves, but true dogs go into heat twice a year (even the breeds that look very wolfy).

Proto-dogs are also known as Pi Dogs and Pye Dogs.