The bond between humans and dogs didn’t start recently; it goes back at least 15,000 years, long before cities, before written history, before most of what we call “modern life.” And yet, when you look at old photographs of dogs and their owners, that distance disappears. A dog leaning into someone’s leg, a person resting a hand without thinking—it’s instantly familiar, like something you’ve seen a hundred times before.
That’s what makes the Instagram page A History of Dogs so compelling. It doesn’t just show dogs from another era; it shows a relationship that hasn’t really shifted, even as everything else has. Different clothes, different worlds, different lives—but the same kind of trust, the same quiet attachment. Dogs have followed humans through war, work, travel, and ordinary days, not because they had to, but because they stayed.
More info: Instagram
#1
Flight Sergeant James Hyde from Trinidad, of No 132 Squadron, Royal Air Force, with a Supermarine Spitfire and 'Dingo,' the squadron commander's pet dog, at Detling, Kent, 1943.
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39points
There’s something almost disarming in how little that connection changes. Studies have shown that when dogs and humans look at each other, both release oxytocin—the same hormone linked to bonding between parents and children. It’s not just emotional; it’s biological. And somehow, you can feel that in these images, even when they’re over a century old.
Different eras, different lives, yet the same gestures—proximity, ease, a kind of unspoken understanding. It’s subtle, almost easy to overlook, but once you see it, it’s difficult to unsee.
#3
Puppy Mountain.
A mountain shaped like a dog’s head resting on the ground next to the Yangtze River in China.
Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan recently posted the photo on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, and it went viral.
A mountain shaped like a dog’s head resting on the ground next to the Yangtze River in China.
Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan recently posted the photo on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, and it went viral.
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36points
#4
Mrs. Tucker, surrounded by her Old English sheepdogs, in her garden at Haslemere, Surrey, October 1929.
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34points
#5
Two boys running for their lives across the infamous Sniper Alley while carrying their dog in Sarajevo, 1995.
Sniper Alley was a dangerous street in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, lined with Serbian snipers. 225 people were killed and 1,030 wounded in 1995.
People would either run fast across the street or would wait for United Nations armored vehicles and walk behind them, using them as protective shields.
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33points
#7
Rest in Peace, Jane Goodall.
The legendary primatologist, conservationist, and anthropologist passed away at the age of 91.
On a personal note, Jane Goodall changed the trajectory of my life. I quit my job, traveled to the Republic of Congo to work with chimps, and gave up law school because of her. She will be greatly missed.
The legendary primatologist, conservationist, and anthropologist passed away at the age of 91.
On a personal note, Jane Goodall changed the trajectory of my life. I quit my job, traveled to the Republic of Congo to work with chimps, and gave up law school because of her. She will be greatly missed.
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30points
#8
A couple with a dog standing on their shoulders. United Kingdom, circa 1940s.
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30points
#13
Blitz Malone was the most decorated greyhound in the 1930s, winning 250 races in one calendar year during his first year of racing.
Blitz was found as a stray living on the streets of Idaho. He was very badly injured, barely able to walk, and emaciated.
His four legs were put in braces, because, as the vet put it, they were “crooked as a politician.” He was nursed back to health by a kind Samaritan.
As his strength returned, Blitz went on daily walks, walking slowly due to his braces. Local children began teasing him, throwing stones at his braces and attaching silly magnets to them while he wasn’t looking.
One day, Blitz had had enough. When he turned a corner and saw the local bullies, they ran toward him, and Blitz, determined to get away, began to run.
From that day forward, he was running.
Blitz showed such an affinity for running that the good Samaritan brought him to the racetrack. Blitz won every single race he entered in that first year, and then retired, declaring that there’s only so much fortune a dog really needs…and the rest is just for showing off.
He spent the rest of his days eating steak for every meal, paid for by his winnings.
Blitz was found as a stray living on the streets of Idaho. He was very badly injured, barely able to walk, and emaciated.
His four legs were put in braces, because, as the vet put it, they were “crooked as a politician.” He was nursed back to health by a kind Samaritan.
As his strength returned, Blitz went on daily walks, walking slowly due to his braces. Local children began teasing him, throwing stones at his braces and attaching silly magnets to them while he wasn’t looking.
One day, Blitz had had enough. When he turned a corner and saw the local bullies, they ran toward him, and Blitz, determined to get away, began to run.
From that day forward, he was running.
Blitz showed such an affinity for running that the good Samaritan brought him to the racetrack. Blitz won every single race he entered in that first year, and then retired, declaring that there’s only so much fortune a dog really needs…and the rest is just for showing off.
He spent the rest of his days eating steak for every meal, paid for by his winnings.
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27points
#14
Fully packed Londoners leave town, carrying golf clubs and a happy dog, for an Easter holiday break in 1930.
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26points
#17
Tennis champion and social activist Billie Jean King with her dog Bootsie, whom she was allowed to choose at the animal shelter. According to King, it was love at first sight.
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23points
#18
Little Evelyn Luff with her entourage of St. Bernard dogs at Staines Abbots Pass kennels, near Reigate in Surrey, circa 1935.
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22points
#19
An American soldier cradling a dog while under siege at Khe Sanh, Vietnam, 1968. The Battle of Khe Sanh began on January 21, 1968, and lasted for 77 days.
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22points
#20
Socialite C.Z. Guest with her dogs at Villa Artemis in Palm Beach, Florida, 1955.
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21points