For Release: April 9 , 2007
It is the epic story of one of the most amazing evolutionary journeys ever taken by a species. Thousands of years ago, as humans began to settle in villages, the wolf emerged from the wild and made the startling leap to "man's best friend." Once domesticated, dogs would accompany human cultures through the centuries and to the far corners of the world. Much more recently, the Victorian Age transformed them into the most varied species, and one of the most common pets, on the planet. Now, d ogs are once more changing our world by their use in cutting-edge scientific resear ch and lifesaving medical care.Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham narrates the two-part Nature series "Dogs That Changed the World , " airin g Sundays, April 22 and 29 at 8/7 p.m. CT on KET2 and Saturdays, April 28 and May 5 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET1.
Part one, "The Rise of the Dog , " explores th e roles of dog s as guard s , hunter s , herder s , hauler s and spiritual protector s -- as well as current theories about the wolf's evolutionary leap. The program visits the Arctic's native Inuit and their sled dogs; desert dwelling Jordanians and the speedy saluki; British shepherds and the border collie; and Mexicans and the hairless xolo , among others , to show how indispensable certain breeds have been to their people. The dramatically diverse breeds serve distinct needs, but Swedish geneticist Peter Savolainen's analysis of DNA links breeds around the world to a single origin in East Asia thousands of years ago.
The second part of the series, "Dogs by Design , " details a much more recent phenomenon: the explosion of the basic working dog types into the roughly 400 breeds known today. "Dogs by Design" also visits scientists who are experimenting to see if dogs, with their acute sense of smell, can help sniff out cancer in humans and spotlights an ordinary family that has tapped a German shepherd to provide life-saving diabetes care.
Nature "Dogs That Changed the World" is a co-production of WNET / New York and Tigress Productions. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org .