The remains found in the Beaverhead mountains of Idaho and those found in Europe, Asia and pre-Columbian America all belong to the same epoch. The friendship between man and dog is one of the oldest and most lasting in history. But man also made use of the wolf. Today the wolf's closest relatives are the domestic dog, the dingo, the coyote and the jackal.
Scientists believe that wolves are the direct ancestors of today's domestic dogs.
They think that early humans domesticated wild wolves to make them useful companions and work animals. It found it's way into North America as far south as Idaho. Given thousands of years to selectively breed mutants that cropped up in their dog colonies, humans have manipulated an almost incredible diversity in this species. The Kingdom of Wolves, Scott Barry. Few other species have had such a diversity of relationships with man as has the wolf.