Before dogs became 'man's best friend,' humans regarded them as 'vermin,' scientist says



Prehistoric dogs may have been considered 'vermin' before humans discovered their usefulness, according to one scientist.



Clive D.L. Wynne, a psychology professor at Arizona State University, made the claim on November 3 at the ScienceFest2013 conference in Gainesville, Florida.



His talk, 'Rethinking the origins of dogs,' called into question many previous assumptions about how canines became domesticated -- and eventually, man's best friend.



Clive D.L. Wynne, pictured, argues that 'mutant dogs' evolved from being scavengers into hunting aides for humans

Wynne believes that a mutation in wolf genomes led to a population felt comfortable enough to come closer to humans, NBC News reports. Wolves and dogs are so closely linked they are considered members of the same species, it adds.



'As paradoxical as it sounds, wolves are actually scaredy-cats,' Wynne said.



The genomes, he said, show evidence of a mutation linked to Williams-Beuren syndrome in humans, he added. NBC reports that humans suffering from the syndrome are 'unusually friendly' when dealing with strangers.



NBC reports that Wynne believes approximately 15,000 years ago, the mutant wolves foraged for food near human settlements, as part of a scavenger phase.



'They are vermin, along with other nasty things that are in the trash [...] but then a second phase kicks in,' Wynne said.

'Dogs are every bit as effective as rifles' when it comes to hunting, Wynne said

Wynn believes humans figured out dogs' usefulness later, including the fact that they made excellent hunting companions, NBC adds. The average hunting dog, he said, could bring in 40 pounds of meat every month



'Dogs are every bit as effective as rifles,' Wynne said. 'Dogs need the humans to complete the kill," Wynne said. 'It's a beautiful symbiosis.'