Bonn–Oberkassel dog
Late Paleolithic dog specimen / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bonn–Oberkassel dog (German: Hund von Bonn–Oberkassel) is the skeletal remains of a Late Paleolithic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), found buried alongside two humans. Discovered in early 1914 by quarry workers in Oberkassel, Bonn, Germany, the double burial site was analyzed by a team of archaeologists from the University of Bonn and dated to the Upper Palaeolithic. A canine mandible found at the site was initially attributed to a wolf and placed into museum storage alongside the human remains, while many other canine bone fragments were instead placed into the university's Geological Collections. The bones of the specimen were reunited in the late 1970s and reidentified as a domestic dog attributed to the Magdalenian culture, dating to the beginning of the Late Glacial Interstadial, c. 14,000 BP.
The 32 identifiable bone fragments attributed to the Bonn–Oberkassel dog have been used to estimate a number of the animal's characteristics. It was around 7.5 months old at death, 40–50 cm (16–20 in) tall at shoulder height and weighed 13–18 kg (29–40 lb), suggesting a slender build similar to the Indian wolf or some modern sighthounds. Osteoarthritis, alongside signs of enamel hypoplasia, hypodontia, and periodontal disease indicate that the dog suffered from a canine distemper infection as a puppy, surviving the illness despite extremely low chances of survival unassisted. Humans likely cared for the puppy, including cleaning it and providing it water, despite a corresponding lack of practical utility for doing so. Such care suggests significant compassion towards the dog, possibly indicating that the dog was seen as a pet. It is unknown why the dog died. It may have succumbed to the symptoms of illnesses, unrelated to the death of the two humans. An alternate possibility is that it was killed or sacrificed to be buried alongside the humans, an archaeologically attested practice linked to spiritual and religious motives. A dog molar belonging to a separate, older dog was found at the site, likely used as a grave good.