Rewind, Then Paws: Seven Amazing Wild Dogs

Korean Jindo Dog

(images via: Il Mio Cucciolo, Animal Photography and Dog Breeds of the World) The Korean Jindo Dog or Jindo Gae is much-loved in its native Korea though they were virtually unknown until the 1970s when a bridge was built connecting their home on Jindo Island to the Korean mainland. Famed for their exceptional loyalty to humans and their prowess as hunting dogs, Jindo dogs have been considered to be an official Korean cultural legacy since 1936. (image via: Treasured K9s) Jindo dogs can come in a variety of colors from black to white but they're most commonly seen in fawn to light ginger. They resemble Japanese Akita dogs, another heirloom breed, but have their own strict set of physiological features now being compiled and standardized by the Jindo Dog Research and Testing Center on Jindo Island.

New Guinea Singing Dog

(images via: Tomcue, DogChannel and San Diego Shooter) The New Guinea Singing Dog (Canis lupus dingo var.) may have originated with ancestral Dingo populations that were "passing through" ancient New Guinea and over thousands of years have evolved their own very distinct set of characteristics and attributes. (image via: San Diego (CA) Photos) New Guinea Singing Dogs are notable for their exceptional intelligence and enhanced night vision – reflected light shining from their eyes often has a green hue. As for the "singing", generations of breeding by New Guinea tribespeople have resulted in dogs who rarely bark as doing so would reveal both dog and master to potential prey and competing hunters. Instead, these dogs vocalize by a unique type of howling that has been compared to birdsong.

Canaan Dog

(images via: iArt Forum/Victoria Hager, Top Dog Directory and Wikipedia) Bones of Canaan Dogs found in Israeli caves have been dated to around 10,000 years ago and images of these dogs have been seen in the artworks of ancient Egypt. It's very likely these are the dogs mentioned in the Bible and other ancient texts though until very recently they were only noted as scavenger dogs inhabiting the region's deserts. (image via: Washington Post) An innovative program instituted in the 1930s sought to "re-domesticate", as it were, Canaan Dogs and train them to guard isolated settlements. The dogs responded very favorably, indicating that centuries in the wilderness had not resulted in the breed losing the traits instilled in them by ancient peoples. These days, several thousand Canaan Dogs exported from Israel constitute the vast majority of the breed. Their long desert exile has endowed Canaan Dogs with robust health and a finely honed sense of survival – like most other "pariah" dogs they're an excellent mix of wild and mild!