Timmy MicTimTim and his Dog, Ralph

A Silly, Kind of Twisted, Yet Scary Children's Book By Julia Anderson

Timmy MicTimTim was wondering; "Why is my dog...a dog? What is he?"

Timmy was determined to know the answer, so he went to where he was sure he would find it. The animal shelter. They had dogs, they should know.

Unadvised Timmy went to the animal shelter while his parents were sitting at home not paying attention to him.

Timmy went to the first person he saw. "Where did my doggie come from?" The lady gave him a blank stare.

"Well when two doggies are in love-"

She started. "No!" Timmy interrupted.

"His origin, ancestors, stuff like

that! And how in the world did he

change....why doesn't he look like

wolfies?" (Timmy is misunderstood

because of the way he talks, because

he's actually really smart...he's only

six).

"Well I'm not sure then. Should we find out?" The lady replied. "Yes!" Timmy squealed. "Perfect, I actually know a guy that would know this kind of stuff." She said as they walked to her van (Yes, she left work. Yes, he got in the van with her. It's a sketchy town).

They soon arrived at a huge building. It's said, "Police Box" in big bold letters on the front.

They walked inside and Timmy was

introduced to "The Doctor." The Doctor

knew everything about everything,

and anything about anything. Timmy

asked his question, "Where did my

doggie come from, why doesn't he look

like wolfies, and why....well why is

he my best friend?"

The Doctor understood. "You dog has evolved from wolves...at least, that's what most scientists believe. Really, they could have come from

multiple canine ancestors such but wolves seem to be the leading because of the looks, the way they act, and their previous relationships

with humans."

"Because of this," he continued, "There are multiple places where dogs have evolved because it took place really where agriculture was taking

the area by storm."

The Doctor kept on rambling, "They look so different because they've established adaptions over the years. Some adaptions you see would be the teeth size, the fur color, and the way they act." He pointed to Ralph, his dog.

"Why are we such close friends?" Timmy stated.

"Well that's the thing we aren't quite sure. It's believed that wolves had evolved during the agricultural revolution with humans. They ate up the scraps from humans, and over time became closer and closer, giving us an end result of a great bond."

"There's also the

possibility that wolves co-evolved

with humans together

even before the

agricultural

revolution," The

Doctor finished.

"IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!" Timmy screamed as he ran out of the building.

Timmy continued to run out into the empty street with Ralph, now knowing how they came to best friends (technically speaking). He didn't

realize it yet, but he learned more about himself, and his ancestors too, by learning how dogs had evolved with humans, and how we evolved

ourselves.

Want to know more?

Check out these websites: -http://www4.uwsp.edu/psych/s/275/Science/Coevolution03.pdf -http://www.responsibledog.net/evolution_domestication.html -http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/dog-evolution-included-getting-the-13-01-31/ -http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34095/title/Dogs-Adapted-to-Agriculture/