Dogs of Asia

            Some of the oldest dog breeds call Asia their homeland.  Out of fourteen dog breeds found to be ancient from recent DNA testing, eleven are from countries throughout Asia.  Most of these eleven dog breeds are well known even outside their native lands.

The Afghan Hound is a long haired sighthound from the Asia’s Middle Eastern country of Afghanistan.  From the cold northern Russia come two working sled dogs, the Samoyed and Siberian Husky.  Ancient dogs of Japan include the Akita Inu and Shiba Inu, both originally used for hunting.  The remaining six ancient breeds all hail from China.  The Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, and Tibetan Terrier are from the Tibet region and were all once used in Tibetan monasteries.    Lastly there is the Pekingese, which was once owned only by the imperial family, and the Chow Chow and Chinese Shar-pei, which were both used for hunting and general farm work.  These are the oldest of Asia’s breeds; however, a wide range dogs exist throughout the continent.

It was once believed that the origin of the domesticated dog was somewhere in the Asia’s Middle East, but as more recent tests are preformed it seems that this is no longer the most widely accepted theory.  Newer testing seems to point at eastern Asia as the location where dog first became domesticated.  In fact, recent testing shows that most known dog breeds are related to those from Asia, and as many as 95% carry the same mitochondrial gene sequences, which are passed directly from their mothers.  This would mean that almost all dogs share the same ancestry, which most likely stems from Asia.

Asia is enriched with history, and the history of the dog is no different.  From the ancient dogs listed above, to the Pariah dogs that roam India.  Pariah dogs live near or in villages; however they are feral, and have little interaction with humans.  Each breed has its history, however the dogs of Asia share a history with the dogs of the world.