That's a fairly extreme, although not unreasonable, statement about the role of dogs in the development of human culture. Let's not forget that while the guys and dogs were out running down the occasional wild boar or mammoth, the ladies and small kids were collecting the plants and herbs that formed the day to day staples of most prehistoric groups. In the process they became very proficient and pragmatic botanists. And so it began...

One anthropologist has speculated that the typical prehistoric hunter managed to kill one mammoth, and spent the rest of his life talking about it...

Nonetheless, I am a dog lover, and clearly it goes way back. Even in a non-hunting situation, I marvel at how my dogs' senses and mine combine in good teamwork. How would we ever get those ducks out of the water without a dog?