Dogs

This article is about the domestic dog. For related species known as "dogs", see Canidae.
For other uses, see Dog (disambiguation).
"Doggie" redirects here. For the Danish artist, see Doggie (artist).
Domestic dog
Temporal range: 0.033–0Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg

N
↓

Pleistocene – Recent

Nine different breeds of dogs.

Conservation status

Domesticated
Scientific classification
Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Chordata

Class:

Mammalia

Order:

Carnivora

Family:

Canidae

Genus:

Canis

Species:

C. lupus

Subspecies:

C. l. familiaris

Trinomial name
Canis lupus familiaris[1]
Synonyms
Species synonymy[show]

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris or Canis familiaris) is a usually furry,
carnivorous[2][3][4] canid carnivoran mammal. The global dog population is estimated to
between 700 million[5] to over one billion, making the dog the most abundant member of
order Carnivora.[6]
The dog was the first domesticated animal[7][8] and although it is said that the "dog is man's
best friend"[9] regarding 17-24% of dogs in the developed countries, in the developing world
they are feral, village or community dogs, with pet dogs uncommon.[10] These live their lives
as scavengers and have never been owned by humans, with one study showing their most
common response when approached by strangers was to run away (52%) or respond with
aggression (11%).[11]