26,000-Year-Old Child Footprints Found Alongside Paw Prints Reveal Oldest Evidence of Human-Canine Relationship

There is little doubt that humans and dogs are naturally inclined to be best friends. But when and how did this dynamic duo first emerge? Conventional wisdom holds that agrarian man domesticated scavenger canines about 15,000 years ago. However, recent archaeological discoveries and DNA analyses show that not only is our friendship closer to 30,000 years old (possibly 40,000 years) but also that man did not master and breed wolves into companionable dogs. Rather, our relationship was built on mutual benefits and respect. This new reality has been made strikingly clear by the discovery of a set of footprints indicating a small child walked alongside a large wolf some 26,000 years ago.

‘Neolithic man and wolf-dog.’ Source: Newton’s Apple

Finding the Prints

The Chauvet Cave in France is renowned as the site of some of the world’s oldest paintings. Over 400 images of animals were created around 32,000 years ago. Yet it is another discovery that has gripped the imagination of canine enthusiasts. In the back of the cave, one can see the ancient footsteps of a small child walking alongside a wolf. Stretching over 150 feet (45.72 meters), the prints were made in soft clay, hardened, and were left undisturbed for thousands of years.