While many of these are accidental moments when pets proved themselves helpful in certain situations, animals have long done jobs for humans. And, well, it’s not by chance that dogs are considered man’s best friend. According to historians, dogs were the first animals to ever work alongside humans.
They were domesticated from ancient wolves during the Upper Paleolithic era, possibly as far back as 30,000 years ago. At the time, hunter-gatherers used dogs to track prey, guard encampments, and even carry light loads. Evidence of this has been found at early human settlements in Europe and Asia, showing that domesticated dogs were much more than pets even then.
Later, oxen and cattle entered the picture, but only around 10,000 BCE. At first, they were usually raised strictly as a food source, but during the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution, humans realized that instead of only using them for food, they could benefit from keeping them alive for labor, wool, and milk.
Cattle, and oxen in particular, later became the animals of choice for carrying heavy loads. Specialists say that in Central Europe, people began using oxen to till heavy soil after inventing the wooden yoke and plow. Apparently, a single pair of oxen could plow a field 20 times faster than humans. No wonder they’re the Oregon Trail’s first beast of burden.
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But of course, we can’t forget the internet’s favorite furry friends: cats. We all know that in ancient Egypt, cats served quite a purpose. They were temple guardians, beloved by all, which, as we all know, is very relatable. But actually, research suggests that cats’ first gig started long before that.
Around 10,000 years ago, as humans transitioned from hunting to farming, settlements became riddled with mice and rats, which stored food lured into granaries. Humans soon realized that African wildcats followed these pests into their settlements, helping protect their food supplies. Eventually, this encouraged the wildcats to live alongside humans, paving the way for the domesticated cats we know today.
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Nowadays, though, many kinds of animals have a ginormous amount of responsibilities. More often than not, dogs are still the animals most commonly used for work. They’re used as medical alert dogs for allergies, as well as for cancer and disease detection, and, of course, as police dogs that work hard to find people and detect weapons.
But that’s hardly all. Horses and miniature horses often serve as therapy animals in courtrooms and hospitals, comforting survivors and first responders. Goats and sheep clear dense, invasive weeds, while ferrets carry cords from one side of an underground tube to the other. Smart little creatures, they are.
