I’m actually quite a fan of NOVA’s productions on science via PBS. I saw Dogs Decoded years ago.

The documentary goes into great detail about man’s relationship with dogs. Over the course of our history, there’s been very few creatures that come close to rivaling the role as “man’s best friend”. Which throws up an important question. Why are dogs “man’s best friend” of all other creatures?

I liked seeing them compared dogs to the chimpanzee (our closest relative) in terms of intelligence. In certain aspects, it showed that dogs could do things chimpanzees could not. It also debunks the notion that dogs are just “home-raised wolves” as they did show a family who had a legitimate wolf puppy. When the puppy became a wolf, the differences were harsh and clear.

I was also thrilled to see them give more info on the Russian science experiment that tamed the silver fox and domesticated it. Which gives a clue on how and why dogs had split from their wolf ancestors. My only gripe is that it ends too soon.