Exploring the introduction of European dogs to North America through shoulder height

Abstract

The introduction of domesticated species to new environments has been used to identify colonisation events in the archaeological record but rarely provides the opportunity to investigate colonists' selection of particular breeds or stock. This analysis employs morphometrics, the measurement of skeletal landmarks, supported by historic documentation to explore the intersection between colonists' breed preferences and species translocation. In doing so, this analysis provides insight into the differential effects of human selective breeding on domestic dog's (Canis familiaris) physical characteristics in Native American and European societies. Historic sources suggest that European colonists selectively imported large dog breeds capable of defending settlements and livestock, acting as war dogs, and aiding hunters. Colonists' dogs are reputed to have been significantly larger than Native American dogs. This study compares standardised measurements taken on bones to estimate shoulder height. We find that dog populations in England and North America spanning the period 0–1,800 AD exhibit an almost identical average stature; however, the range of shoulder height variation in European dogs is far greater than seen in eastern Native American dog populations. Dogs in colonial American contexts are statistically larger than both Native American and European dog populations, supporting documentary accounts that colonists selectively imported breeds from the largest available in Europe.

An early dog from southeast Alaska supports a coastal route for the first dog migration into the Americas

“…Europeans brought a new wave of modern dog breeds, replacing most PCDs, mainly due to cultural preferences. Colonists preferred larger European breeds over the smaller PCDs because they were more capable of defending settlements and livestock, and they could be used as war dogs or for hunting [ 27 , 29 ]. European dog breeds may have also brought diseases that indigenous dogs were susceptible to [ 11 ].…”

“…Before the Thule culture, dogs were rare in the American Arctic. The rapid expansion of dogs across the North American Arctic was likely associated with the later Inuit dog sled culture [25][26][27][28]. Europeans brought a new wave of modern dog breeds, replacing most PCDs, mainly due to cultural preferences.…”

Pioneering Poultry: A Morphometric Investigation of Seventeenth- to Early Twentieth-Century Domestic Chickens (Gallus gallus) in Eastern North America

“…Documenting and reporting linear morphometric data on faunal remains as specimens are identified is an established and widespread practice in Europe, but is notably less frequent in the Americas. Despite the paucity of data, this and other analyses (Cossette and Horard-Herbin 2003;Reitz and Ruff 1984;Tourigny et al 2016;Welker and Dunham 2019) have highlighted the potential of these data in providing insight into the origins, introduction, and management of livestock in the Americas. These processes were vital to the success of European colonies in the Americas, and had enduring impacts on the laws developed and enforced in the colonies (Burre 1612) and relations between the colonists and neighboring Native American and First Nations communities (Anderson 2004), and environmental conditions (Melville 1997).…”

“…The utility of morphometic data in studying animal domestication, management, and trade has been demonstrated in numerous studies (Albarella 1997;O'Connor 2007). The limited availability of morphometric data from North American assemblages has impeded the development of similar studies of domestic species in the New World (Cossette and Horard-Herbin 2003;Reitz and Ruff 1994;Sasson and Arter 2020;Tourigny et al 2016;Welker and Dunham 2019) with the notable exception of the dog (e.g., Bozell 1988;Crockford 1997;Haag 1948;Welker and Byers 2019). Though limited in size and scope, our study contributes to current understanding of early chicken husbandry in the Colonial period followed by later refinement, as the breeds and landraces brought from the settlers' own countries were crossbred and improved upon in the 19th century.…”

“…Eurasian domesticated plant and animal species have had an enduring impact on the culture and environmental history of North America; however, our understanding of these processes is largely built upon documentary evidence. Though archaeological investigations of colonial cattle (Cossette and Horard-Herbin 2004;Guiry, et al 2021;Reitz and Ruff 1994;Speller et al 2013), European dogs (Leathlobhair et al 2018;Tourigny et al 2016;Welker and Dunham 2019), chickens (Sasson and Arter 2020), and pigs (Guiry et al 2012) have been published; the evidence is mostly used to generate an impression of the dietary or economic contributions of each species instead of exploring translocation or management. Despite limited study, historic contexts provide a plentiful source of data on not only on the origins and management of Colonial Era domesticates, but also the patterns which may be expected in similar translocation events in human history.…”