ancient Egypt during the days of the pharaohs, dogs were considered to be sacred. 10. German Shorthaired Pointer 2 of 12 Origin and history of dogs Ancestry Paleontologists and archaeologists have determined that about 60 million years ago a small mammal, rather like a weasel , lived in the environs of what are now parts of Asia. It is called Miacis , the genus that became the ancestor of the animals known today as canids: dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes. Miacis did not leave direct descendants, but doglike canids evolved from it. By about 30 to 40 million years ago Miacis had evolved into the first true dog—namely, Cynodictis . This was a medium-size animal , longer than it was tall, with a long tail and a fairly brushy coat. Over the millennia Cynodictis gave rise to two branches, one in Africa and the other in Eurasia . The Eurasian branch was called Tomarctus and is the pro...