Dogs are humans' best friends. This has been true for a long time. Researchers found new proof. Dogs have lived in Europe for more than 15,000 years. They were with hunters and gatherers already.
Earlier, researchers thought: The first farmers brought the dogs with them. But this is not true. The dogs were already in Europe when the farmers arrived. The farmers later brought other dogs. These dogs came from the south.
The researchers looked at old dog bones. They found a skeleton in Bonn-Oberkassel. This animal was sick. People took care of it. This shows the close link. The dog would have died without help.
Dogs come from wolves. They were the very first pets. The study was in the science magazine Nature. Scientists from Munich and London worked on it. They compared the DNA of many old animals.
