dog

"Doggy" and "Pooch" redirect here.

The dog (Canis familiaris[4][5] or Canis lupus familiaris[5]) is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from extinct gray wolves,[6][7] and the gray wolf is the dog's closest living relative.[8] The dog was the first species to be domesticated[9][8] by humans. Experts estimate that hunter-gatherers domesticated dogs more than 15,000 years ago,[7] which was before the development of agriculture.[1] Due to their long association with humans, dogs have expanded to a large number of domestic individuals[10] and gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.[11]
The dog has been selectively bred over millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes.[12] Dog breeds vary widely in shape, size, and color. They perform many roles for humans, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and the military, companionship, therapy, and aiding disabled people. Over the millennia, dogs became uniquely adapted to human behavior, and the human–canine bond has been a topic of frequent study.[13] This influence on human society has given them the sobriquet of "man's best friend".[14]

Domestication

Main article: Domestication of the dog
The earliest remains generally accepted to be those of a domesticated dog were discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany. Contextual, isotopic, genetic, and morphological evidence shows that this dog was not a local wolf.[20] The dog was dated to 14,223 years ago and was found buried along with a man and a woman, all three having been sprayed with red hematite powder and buried under large, thick basalt blocks. The dog had died of canine distemper.[21] Earlier remains dating back to 30,000 years ago have been described as Paleolithic dogs, but their status as dogs or wolves remains debated[22] because considerable morphological diversity existed among wolves during the Late Pleistocene.[1]
This timing indicates that the dog was the first species to be domesticated[9][8] in the time of hunter-gatherers,[7] which predates agriculture.[1] DNA sequences show that all ancient and modern dogs share a common ancestry and descended from an ancient, extinct wolf population which was distinct from the modern wolf lineage.[6][7]
The dog is a classic example of a domestic animal that likely travelled a commensal pathway into domestication.[22][23] The questions of when and where dogs were first domesticated have taxed geneticists and archaeologists for decades.[9] Genetic studies suggest a domestication process commencing over 25,000 years ago, in one or several wolf populations in either Europe, the high Arctic, or eastern Asia.[10] In 2021, a literature review of the current evidence infers that the dog was domesticated in Siberia 23,000 years ago by ancient North Siberians, then later dispersed eastward into the Americas and westward across Eurasia,[20] with dogs likely accompanying the first humans to inhabit the Americas.[24]

Breeds

Main article: Dog breed
Further information: Dog type
Dogs are the most variable mammal on earth, with around 450 globally recognized dog breeds.[10][25] In the Victorian era, directed human selection developed the modern dog breeds, which resulted in a vast range of phenotypes.[8] Most breeds were derived from small numbers of founders within the last 200 years.[8][10] Since then, dogs have undergone rapid phenotypic change and have been subjected to artificial selection by humans. The skull, body, and limb proportions between breeds display more phenotypic diversity than can be found within the entire order of carnivores. These breeds possess distinct traits related to morphology, which include body size, skull shape, tail phenotype, fur type and colour.[8] Their behavioural traits include guarding, herding, hunting,[8] retrieving, and scent detection. Their personality traits include hypersocial behavior, boldness, and aggression.[8] Present-day dogs are dispersed around the world.[10] An example of this dispersal is the numerous modern breeds of European lineage during the Victorian era.[7]

Biology

Anatomy

Main article: Dog anatomy

Skeleton

A lateral view of a dog skeleton
All healthy dogs, regardless of their size and type, have an identical skeletal structure with the exception of the number of bones in the tail, although there is significant skeletal variation between dogs of different types.[26][27] The dog's skeleton is well adapted for running; the vertebrae on the neck and back have extensions for back muscles, consisting of epaxial muscles and hypaxial muscles, to connect to; the long ribs provide room for the heart and lungs; and the shoulders are unattached to the skeleton, allowing for flexibility.[26][27][28]
Compared to the dog's wolf-like ancestors, selective breeding since domestication has seen the dog's skeleton larger in size for larger types such as mastiffs and miniaturised for smaller types such as terriers; dwarfism has been selectively used for some types where short legs are advantageous, such as dachshunds and corgis.[27] Most dogs naturally have 26 vertebrae in their tails, but some with naturally short tails have as few as three.[26]
The dog's skull has identical components regardless of breed type, but there is significant divergence in terms of skull shape between types.[27][29] The three basic skull shapes are the elongated dolichocephalic type as seen in sighthounds, the intermediate mesocephalic or mesaticephalic type, and the very short and broad brachycephalic type exemplified by mastiff type skulls.[27][29]

Senses

Further information: Dog anatomy § Senses
A dog's senses include vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch. One study suggests that dogs can feel Earth's magnetic field.[30]

Lifespan

Further information: Aging in dogs
The typical lifespan of dogs varies widely among breeds, but the median longevity (the age at which half the dogs in a population have died and half are still alive) ranges from 10 to 13 years.[36][37] The median longevity of mixed-breed dogs, taken as an average of all sizes, is one or more years longer than that of purebred dogs when all breeds are averaged.[36][37][38] For dogs in England, increased body weight has been found to be negatively correlated with longevity (i.e., the heavier the dog, the shorter its lifespan), and mixed-breed dogs live on average 1.2 years longer than purebred dogs.[39]

Neutering

Neutering is the sterilization of animals, usually by removing the male's testicles or the female's ovaries and uterus, to eliminate the ability to procreate and reduce sex drive. Because of dogs' overpopulation in some countries, many animal control agencies, such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), advise that dogs not intended for further breeding should be neutered, so that they do not have undesired puppies that may later be euthanized.[44] According to the Humane Society of the United States, three to four million dogs and cats are euthanized each year.[45] Many more are confined to cages in shelters. Spaying or castrating dogs is considered a major factor in keeping overpopulation down.[46]
Neutering reduces problems caused by hypersexuality, especially in male dogs.[47] Spayed female dogs are less likely to develop cancers affecting the mammary glands, ovaries, and other reproductive organs.[48][page needed] However, neutering increases the risk of urinary incontinence in female dogs,[49] prostate cancer in males,[50] and osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, cruciate ligament rupture, obesity, and diabetes mellitus in either sex.[51]

Inbreeding depression

A common breeding practice for pet dogs is to mate them between close relatives (e.g., between half- and full-siblings).[52] Inbreeding depression is considered to be due mainly to the expression of homozygous deleterious recessive mutations.[53] Outcrossing between unrelated individuals, including dogs of different breeds, results in the beneficial masking of deleterious recessive mutations in progeny.[54]
In a study of seven dog breeds (the Bernese Mountain Dog, Basset Hound, Cairn Terrier, Brittany, German Shepherd Dog, Leonberger, and West Highland White Terrier), it was found that inbreeding decreases litter size and survival.[55] Another analysis of data on 42,855 Dachshund litters found that as the inbreeding coefficient increased, litter size decreased and the percentage of stillborn puppies increased, thus indicating inbreeding depression.[56] In a study of Boxer litters, 22% of puppies died before reaching 7 weeks of age. Stillbirth was the most frequent cause of death, followed by infection. Mortality due to infection increased significantly with increases in inbreeding.[57]

Behavior

Main article: Dog behavior
See also: Dog behavior § Behavior compared with other canids

Dog swimming over to catch a ball
Dog behavior is the internally coordinated responses (actions or inactions) of the domestic dog (individuals or groups) to internal and external stimuli.[58] Dogs' minds have been shaped by millennia of contact with humans; dogs have acquired the ability to understand and communicate with humans; they are uniquely attuned to human behaviors.[13] Behavioral scientists thought that a set of social-cognitive abilities in domestic dogs that are not possessed by the dog's canine relatives or other highly intelligent mammals, such as great apes, are parallel to children's social-cognitive skills.[59]
Unlike other domestic species selected for production-related traits, dogs were initially selected for their behaviors.[60][61] In 2016, a study found that only 11 fixed genes showed variation between wolves and dogs.[62] These gene variations were unlikely to have been the result of natural evolution and indicate selection on both morphology and behavior during dog domestication. These genes have been shown to affect the catecholamine synthesis pathway, with the majority of the genes affecting the fight-or-flight response[61][63] (i.e., selection for tameness) and emotional processing.[61] Dogs generally show reduced fear and aggression compared with wolves.[61][64] Some of these genes have been associated with aggression in some dog breeds.[61] Traits of high sociability and lack of fear in dogs may include genetic modifications related to Williams-Beuren syndrome in humans, which cause hypersociability at the expense of problem-solving ability.[65]

Intelligence

Main article: Dog intelligence
Researchers have tested dogs' ability to perceive information, retain it as knowledge, and apply it to solve problems. Studies of two dogs suggest that dogs can learn by inference. A study with Rico, a Border Collie, showed that he knew the labels of over 200 different items. He inferred the names of novel things by exclusion learning and correctly retrieved those new items after four weeks of the initial exposure. A study of another Border Collie, Chaser, documented that he had learned the names and could associate them by verbal command with over 1,000 words.[66]
One study of canine cognitive abilities found that dogs' capabilities are no more exceptional than those of horses, chimpanzees, or cats.[67] One study of 18 household dogs found that the dogs could not distinguish food bowls at specific locations without distinguishing cues; the study stated that this indicates a lack of spatial memory.[68] Dogs demonstrate a theory of mind by engaging in deception.[69] Another experimental study showed evidence that Australian dingos can outperform domestic dogs in non-social problem-solving, indicating that domestic dogs may have lost much of their original problem-solving abilities once they joined humans.[70] Another study showed that after undergoing training to solve a simple manipulation task, dogs faced with an unsolvable version of the same problem look at humans, while socialized wolves do not.[71]

Ecology

Population

The dog is probably the most widely abundant large carnivoran living in the human environment.[87][88] In 2013, the estimated global dog population was between 700 million[89] and 987 million.[90] About 20% of dogs live as pets in developed countries.[91] In the developing world, dogs are typically feral or communally owned, with pet dogs being uncommon. Most of these dogs live their lives as scavengers and have never been owned by humans, with one study showing their most common response when approached by strangers is to run away (52%) or respond aggressively (11%).[92] The majority of research on dog cognition has focused on pet dogs living in human homes.[93]

Competitors and predators

Although dogs are the most abundant and widely distributed terrestrial carnivores, feral and free-ranging dogs' potential to compete with other large carnivores is limited by their strong association with humans.[87] A review of the studies on dogs' competitive effects on sympatric carnivores did not mention any research on competition between dogs and wolves.[94][95] Although wolves are known to kill dogs, they tend to live in pairs or in small packs in areas where they are highly persecuted, giving them a disadvantage when facing large dog groups.[94][96] In some instances, wolves have displayed an uncharacteristic fearlessness of humans and buildings when attacking dogs, to the extent that they have to be beaten off or killed.[97] Although the numbers of dogs killed each year are relatively low, it induces a fear of wolves entering villages and farmyards to take dogs, and losses of dogs to wolves have led to demands for more liberal wolf hunting regulations.[94]
Coyotes and big cats have also been known to attack dogs. In particular, leopards are known to have a preference for dogs and have been recorded to kill and consume them, no matter their size.[98] Siberian tigers in the Amur River region have killed dogs in the middle of villages. Amur tigers will not tolerate wolves as competitors within their territories, and the tigers could be considering dogs in the same way.[99] Striped hyenas are known to kill dogs in their range.[100]

Diet

See also: Dog food
A Golden Retriever gnawing on a pig's foot
Dogs have been described as omnivores.[12][101][102] Compared to wolves, dogs from agricultural societies have extra copies of amylase and other genes involved in starch digestion that contribute to an increased ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet.[11] Similar to humans, some dog breeds produce amylase in their saliva and are classified as having a high starch diet.[103] However, more like cats and less like other omnivores, dogs can only produce bile acid with taurine and they cannot produce vitamin D, which they obtain from animal flesh. Of the twenty-one amino acids common to all life forms (including selenocysteine), dogs cannot synthesize ten: arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.[104][105][106] Also more like cats, dogs require arginine to maintain nitrogen balance. These nutritional requirements place dogs halfway between carnivores and omnivores.[107]

Range

As a domesticated or semi-domesticated animal, the dog is nearly universal among human societies. Notable exceptions once included:

• The Aboriginal Tasmanians, who were separated from Australia before the arrival of dingos on that continent
• The Andamanese peoples, who were isolated when rising sea levels covered the land bridge to Myanmar
• The Fuegians, who instead domesticated the Fuegian dog, a different canid species
• Individual Pacific islands whose maritime settlers did not bring dogs, or where dogs died out after original settlement, notably the Mariana Islands,[108] Palau[109] and most of the Caroline Islands with exceptions such as Fais Island and Nukuoro,[110] the Marshall Islands,[111] the Gilbert Islands,[111] New Caledonia,[112] Vanuatu,[112][113] Tonga,[113] Marquesas,[113] Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Rapa Iti in French Polynesia, Easter Island,[113] the Chatham Islands[114] and Pitcairn Island (settled by the Bounty mutineers, who killed off their dogs to escape discovery by passing ships).[115]

Dogs were introduced to Antarctica as sled dogs, but were later outlawed by international agreement due to the possible risk of spreading infections.[116]

Roles with humans

Main article: Human–canine bond
Domestic dogs inherited complex behaviors, such as bite inhibition, from their wolf ancestors, who would have been pack hunters with complex body language. These sophisticated forms of social cognition and communication may account for their trainability, playfulness and ability to fit into human households and social situations,[117] probably also for early human hunter-gatherers.
Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and the military, companionship and aiding disabled individuals. This influence on human society has given them the nickname "man's best friend" in the Western world. In some cultures, however, dogs are also a source of meat.[118][119]

Pets

A Siberian Husky with a human as companionship
It is estimated that three-quarters of the world's dog population lives in the developing world as feral, village, or community dogs, with pet dogs uncommon.[120][page needed]
"The most widespread form of interspecies bonding occurs between humans and dogs"[121] and the keeping of dogs as companions, particularly by elites, has a long history.[14] Pet dog populations grew significantly after World War II as suburbanization increased.[14] In the 1950s and 1960s, dogs were kept outside more often than they tend to be today[122] (the expression "in the doghouse" – recorded since 1932[123] – to describe exclusion from the group implies a distance between the doghouse and the home) and were still primarily functional, acting as a guard, children's playmate, or walking companion. From the 1980s, there have been changes in the pet dog's role, such as the increased role of dogs in the emotional support of their human guardians.[124][page needed][125][page needed][126]
Within the second half of the 20th century, the first dogs' social status major shift has been "commodification", shaping it to conform to social expectations of personality and behavior.[126] The second has been the broadening of the family's concept and the home to include dogs-as-dogs within everyday routines and practices.[126]
A vast range of commodity forms aim to transform a pet dog into an ideal companion.[127] The list of goods and services available for dogs, such as dog training books, classes, and television programs, has increased.[128][127] The majority of contemporary dog owners describe their pet as part of the family, although some state that it was an ambivalence relationship, with the reconceptualization of the dog-human family as a pack.[126] Some dog trainers, such as on the television program Dog Whisperer, have promoted a dominance model of dog-human relationships. However, it has been disputed that "trying to achieve status" is characteristic of dog-human interactions.[129] The idea of the "alpha dog" trying to be dominant is based on a controversial theory about wolf packs.[130][131] Increasingly, human family-members engage in activities centered on the dog's perceived needs and interests, or in which the dog is an integral partner, such as dog dancing and dog yoga.[127]
According to statistics published by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association in the National Pet Owner Survey in 2009–2010, an estimated 77.5 million people in the United States have pet dogs.[132] The same source shows that nearly 40% of American households own at least one dog, of which 67% own just one dog, 25% own two dogs and nearly 9% own more than two dogs. The data also shows an equal number of male and female pet dogs. Several programs promote pet adoption, but less than one-fifth of the owned dogs come from shelters.[132]

Workers

In addition to dogs' role as companion animals, dogs have been bred for herding livestock (collies, sheepdogs),[133][page needed][12] hunting (hounds, pointers)[134][page needed] and rodent control (terriers).[12] Other types of working dogs include search and rescue dogs,[135] detection dogs trained to detect illicit drugs[136] or chemical weapons;[137] homeguard dogs; police dogs (K-9); dogs who assist fishermen with the use of nets; and dogs that pull loads.[12] In 1957, the dog Laika became one of the first animals to be launched into Earth orbit aboard the Soviets' Sputnik 2; she died during the flight from overheating.[138][139]
Various kinds of service dogs and assistance dogs, including guide dogs, hearing dogs, mobility assistance dogs and psychiatric service dogs, assist individuals with disabilities.[140][141] Some dogs owned by people with epilepsy have been shown to alert their handler when the handler shows signs of an impending seizure, sometimes well in advance of onset; there was no significant correlation between the patients' demographics, health, or attitude towards their pets.[142]

Food

Main article: Dog meat
Dog meat is consumed in some East Asian countries, including Korea,[144][page needed] China,[118] Vietnam[119] and the Philippines,[145] which date back to antiquity.[146] Based on limited data, it is estimated that 13–16 million dogs are killed and consumed in Asia every year.[147] In China, debates have ensued over banning the consumption of dog meat.[148] Following the Sui and Tang dynasties of the first millennium, people living on northern China's plains began to abstain from eating dogs, which is likely due to Buddhism and Islam's spread, two religions that forbade the consumption of certain animals, including the dog.[citation needed] Eating dog meat gradually became a social taboo,[citation needed] though some still consumed it in modern times.
Dog meat is also consumed in some parts of Switzerland.[149] Other cultures, such as those in Polynesia and pre-Columbian Mexico, also consumed dog meat in their histories.[150][151] In some parts of Poland[152][153] and Central Asia,[154][155] dog fat is reportedly believed to be beneficial for the lungs. Proponents of eating dog meat have argued that placing a distinction between livestock and dogs is Western hypocrisy and that there is no difference in eating different animals' meat.[156][157][158][159]

In Korea

Main article: Dog meat consumption in South Korea
The most popular Korean dog dish is called bosintang, a spicy stew meant to balance the body's heat during the summer months. Some followers of the custom claim this is done to ensure good health by balancing one's gi, or the body's 'vital energy'. The 19th-century version of bosintang is prepared by boiling dog meat with scallions and chili powder.[citation needed] Dogs are not as widely consumed as beef, pork and chicken.[160]
The primary dog breed raised for meat in South Korea is the Nureongi.[160][irrelevant citation] In 2018, the South Korean government passed a bill for restaurants that sell dog meat to stop doing so during the year's Winter Olympics.[161] On January 9, 2024, the South Korean parliament passed a law banning the distribution and sale of dog meat, to take effect in three years.[162]

Health risks

Further information: Dog bite, Canine vector-borne disease, and Dog bite prevention
In 2018, the WHO reported that 59,000 people died globally from rabies, with 59.6% in Asia and 36.4% in Africa. Rabies is a disease for which dogs are the most important vector.[163] Dog bites affect tens of millions of people globally each year. Children in mid-to-late childhood are the largest percentage bitten by dogs, with a greater risk of injury to the head and neck. They are more likely to need medical treatment and have the highest death rate.[164] Sharp claws can lacerate flesh that can lead to serious infections.[165] In the U.S., cats and dogs are a factor in more than 86,000 falls each year.[166] It has been estimated that around 2% of dog-related injuries treated in U.K. hospitals are domestic accidents. The same study found that while dog involvement in road traffic accidents was difficult to quantify, dog-associated road accidents involving injury more commonly involved two-wheeled vehicles.[167]
Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) eggs in dog feces can cause toxocariasis. In the United States, about 10,000 cases of Toxocara infection are reported in humans each year, and almost 14% of the U.S. population is infected.[168] Untreated toxocariasis can cause retinal damage and decreased vision.[169] Dog feces can also contain hookworms that cause cutaneous larva migrans in humans.[170][171]

Health benefits

Walking a dog
Dogs suffer from the same common disorders as humans; these include cancer, diabetes, heart disease and neurologic disorders. Their pathology is similar to that of humans, as is their response to treatment and their outcomes. Researchers are identifying the genes associated with dog diseases similar to human disorders, but lack mouse models to find cures for both dogs and humans. The genes involved in canine obsessive-compulsive disorders led to the detection of four genes in humans' related pathways.[10]
The scientific evidence is mixed as to whether a dog's companionship can enhance human physical and psychological well-being.[172] Studies suggest that there are benefits to physical health and psychological well-being, but they have been criticized for being 'poorly controlled'.[173][174] It states that "the health of elderly people is related to their health habits and social supports but not to their ownership of, or attachment to, a companion animal." Earlier studies have shown that people who keep pet dogs or cats make fewer visits to the doctor and are less likely to be on medication than non-guardians.[175] People with pet dogs took considerably more physical exercise than those with cats and those without pets; these effects are relatively long-term.[176] Pet guardianship has also been associated with increased coronary artery disease survival. Human guardians are significantly less likely to die within one year of an acute myocardial infarction than those who do not own dogs.[177] The association between dog ownership and adult physical activity levels has been reviewed by several authors.[178]
A 2005 paper states "recent research has failed to support earlier findings that pet ownership is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, a reduced use of general practitioner services, or any psychological or physical benefits on health for community dwelling older people". Research has pointed to significantly less absenteeism from school through sickness among children who live with pets."[172] In one study, new guardians reported a highly significant reduction in minor health problems during the first month following pet acquisition. This effect was sustained in those with dogs through to the end of the study.[176]
The health benefits of dogs can result from contact with dogs in general, not solely from having dogs as pets. For example, when in a pet dog's presence, people show reductions in cardiovascular, behavioral and psychological indicators of anxiety.[179] Other health benefits are gained from exposure to immune-stimulating microorganisms, which can protect against allergies and autoimmune diseases according to the hygiene hypothesis. The benefits of contact with a dog also include social support, as dogs cannot only provide companionship and social support themselves but also act as facilitators of social interactions between humans.[180] One study indicated that wheelchair users experience more positive social interactions with strangers when accompanied by a dog than when they are not.[181] In 2015, a study found that pet owners were significantly more likely to get to know people in their neighborhood than non-pet owners.[182]
Using dogs and other animals as a part of therapy dates back to the late 18th century, when animals were introduced into mental institutions to help socialize patients with mental disorders.[183] Animal-assisted intervention research has shown that animal-assisted therapy with a dog can increase social behaviors, such as smiling and laughing, among people with Alzheimer's disease.[184] One study demonstrated that children with ADHD and conduct disorders who participated in an education program with dogs and other animals showed increased attendance, increased knowledge and skill objectives and decreased antisocial and violent behavior compared with those not in an animal-assisted program.[185]

Cultural importance

Main articles: Cultural depictions of dogs and Dogs in religion
Further information: List of fictional dogs
Cerberus, with the gluttons in Dante's Third Circle of Hell. William Blake.
Dogs were depicted to symbolize guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, alertness, and love.[186] In ancient Mesopotamia, from the Old Babylonian period until the Neo-Babylonian period, dogs were the symbol of Ninisina, the goddess of healing and medicine,[187] and her worshippers frequently dedicated small models of seated dogs to her.[187] In the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, dogs were used as emblems of magical protection.[187] In China, Korea and Japan, dogs are viewed as kind protectors.[188]
In mythology, dogs often serve as pets or as watchdogs.[188] Stories of dogs guarding the gates of the underworld recur throughout Indo-European mythologies[189][190] and may originate from Proto-Indo-European religion.[189][190] In Greek mythology, Cerberus is a three-headed, dragon-tailed watchdog who guards the gates of Hades.[188] Dogs are also associated with the Greek goddess Hecate.[191] In Norse mythology, a dog called Garmr guards Hel, a realm of the dead.[188] In Persian mythology, two four-eyed dogs guard the Chinvat Bridge.[188] In Welsh mythology, Annwn is guarded by Cŵn Annwn.[188] In Hindu mythology, Yama, the god of death, owns two watchdogs named Shyama and Sharvara who have four eyes. They are said to watch over the gates of Naraka.[192] A black dog is also considered to be the vahana (vehicle) of Bhairava (an incarnation of Shiva).[193]
In Christianity, dogs represent faithfulness.[188] Within the Roman Catholic denomination specifically, the iconography of Saint Dominic includes a dog, after the saint's mother dreamt of a dog springing from her womb and becoming pregnant shortly after that.[194] As such, the Dominican Order (Ecclesiastical Latin: Domini canis) means "dog of the Lord" or "hound of the Lord" (Ecclesiastical Latin: Domini canis).[194] In Christian folklore, a church grim often takes the form of a black dog to guard Christian churches and their churchyards from sacrilege.[195] Jewish law does not prohibit keeping dogs and other pets. Jewish law requires Jews to feed dogs (and other animals that they own) before themselves and make arrangements for feeding them before obtaining them.[196][197] The view on dogs in Islam is mixed, with some schools of thought viewing them as unclean,[188] although Khaled Abou El Fadl states that this view is based on "pre-Islamic Arab mythology" and "a tradition to be falsely attributed to the Prophet."[198] The Sunni Maliki School jurists disagree with the idea that dogs are unclean.[199]