True or False?

Dogs were the first animals ever domesticated by humans.

(scroll to the bottom to find the answer!)

Koda, the Australian Shepherd, had no idea his morning walk was about to become the best day of four tiny kittens' lives. The service dog in training was on a regular neighborhood stroll in Los Angeles when the universe had other plans. He spotted a stray kitten in a driveway and refused to budge until his trainer paid attention. That first kitten turned out to be just the beginning. By the end of the walk, they had found four.

Koda and his trainer ended up rescuing all four kittens, who were in rough shape and in urgent need of care. The story went viral, and not just because it's adorable. It is a genuine reminder of how tuned-in dogs are to their surroundings, and how a dog's instinct can quite literally save a life.

The kittens are now getting the medical care they need while Koda goes right back to his training. If you are in the Los Angeles area and have space to foster, Koda's trainer is looking for foster families for the kittens while she works to rescue Mom and Dad, who are still on the property. Good boy, Koda!

Meet Olive, a 15-year-and-9-month-old Border Collie who has lived every single one of those years to the fullest. Daily Dig reader Donna rescued her from North Shore Animal League in New York at just 8 weeks old, and Olive has spent her life on 15 open acres in South Florida, doing exactly what a Border Collie was made to do.

Olive is all black, named for the Olive fruit, and Donna describes her as sweet, calm, friendly, protective, and as smart as a human being. She loves to swim, walk, trot through the fields, and eat bones of every kind. At nearly 16 years old, she is still out there living her best life in the sun, and we could not love that more.

Thank you to Daily Dig reader Donna for sharing Olive with us. Want to see your dog featured next? Reply to this email with their photo and a little about them for a chance to be our next Dog of the Day!

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We know why we love dogs. But have you ever wondered why they love us back so much? Researchers at Azabu University in Japan set out to find the answer, and what they discovered is genuinely fascinating.

After examining the DNA of 624 dogs, the team found that specific gene mutations may explain why dogs are so drawn to humans. Two genes stood out. The first involves oxytocin, often called the love hormone, which is linked to trust, empathy, and bonding. Both wolves and dogs showed this mutation. The second involves cortisol, the stress hormone. Dogs that had become more domesticated and reliant on humans showed a mutation that lowered their stress response around people, making them calmer, more trusting, and more attached.

To test this, the researchers split dogs into two groups: an ancient group with DNA closer to wolves (think Huskies and Akitas) and a general group of more domesticated breeds. When given an impossible task, the domesticated dogs looked to humans for help far more than the wolf-adjacent dogs did. The study concluded that mutations in the stress response system may have been what kick-started domestication in the first place. In other words, your dog does not just love you because you feed them. It is written into their DNA.

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• 🏊 Golden teaches puppy sibling to swim

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🦴 A Little Treat

🤔 True or False: True! Dogs are widely considered the first domesticated animal, with archaeological evidence suggesting the human-dog bond began anywhere from 15,000 to 40,000 years ago. Our friendship with dogs is the oldest interspecies relationship we have.

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