Over the Hedge by T Lewis and Michael Fry for May 06, 2012

Ah, somebody probably has Smurf trademarked.

Ol’ Moldy Shell’s actually off on this one; face-licking is older than domestication. It derives from puppies licking the faces of pack members returning from hunts, to stimulate them to regurgitate a few pre-digested noms..@Nab, perhaps you should actually study the science behind canid domestication (including archaeology, biology, and genetics) before tossing out scientists’ “silly theories” on the basis of a particular breed simply looking like some wild species. You’re putting forth a rather poor standard for any kind of science..I’m also aware of Belyaev’s Siberian fox experiments; the foxes were not simply kept in captivity but were specifically bred for tameness. The ability of any canid to be domesticated hasn’t been anywhere close to proven, as there are still wild ones we’ve hardly any knowledge of.

I think dogs came from gray wolves starting tens of thousands of years ago.

Those of us who comment on these strips long enough start to sound just like Verne…too much information that nobody else cares about, except our Fellow Vernes.

“And considering the coyote is having no trouble surviving while the poor wolf is at the mercy of everybody.”

The two phenomena are interconnected. The only effective method for controlling coyote populations is to have a thriving wolf population (they don’t like to share territory). When we drove the wolves out, the coyotes moved in.

@solitha— thank you! nature docs still show lower wolf pack members greeting the alphas with face licking.

the desire to be fed and deference to the pack leader are not mutually exclusive. in fact, they go together perfectly.

Ahh, the wonders of orientation lock.