Little Dogs Get their Little Legs from Wolves

[The Straight Story]

Little Dogs Get their Little Legs from Wolves

July 16, 2009
By Devin Powell
Inside Science News Service

WASHINGTON -- Heidi Parker chose her pet basset hound "Stormy" because short-legged basset hounds have a reputation for being comfortable, cuddly couch potatoes. Now Parker -- a geneticist by trade -- has figured out why these and some other small dogs have such stumpy legs. Their DNA contains two copies of a gene that most dogs only have one of -- the second copy is an old version of a gene borrowed from wolves.

Normally, this gene turns on when a dog is growing in the womb to make a molecule called a growth factor that guides the proper formation of limbs and paws. But two copies give the developing dog a double dose that shuts down cartilage growth at the tips of limbs.

Basset hounds belong to a group of more than a dozen types of dogs deliberately bred to have these disproportionate legs, according to standards set out by the American Kennel Club. The short legs of dachshunds, corgis, and Pekingese are considered ideal for the way people once used these dogs. "The dachshund was bred to hunt badgers and go down holes," said American Kennel Club spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "You're going to need a short-legged dog to get into the holes."

http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2009/090716_dogbones.html

[StarryNite]

1. Interesting

Thanks for posting this.

[Mythsaje]

2. Evidence of not only evolution,

but human-forced evolution.

[Maru Kitteh]

6. When humans intervene they do violence ot evolution.

[lexanman]

3. I thought

Noah put the dinosaurs in special cages on the ark, so as not to eat the other animals. What about the millions on insect species?

[canetoad]

4. I read years ago

so don't ask me where, that Corgis are more closely related to wolves than German shepherds.

[Cid_B]

5. From the OP title...

I thought this was going to be a motivational speech along the lines of "Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs"

Basset Hound genetic theory is good too.

[Raine]

7. Interesting. nt

[timeforpeace]

8. It is interesting, but ya gotta feel bad for the short legged doggies. Table scraps

are harder to reach.

[Fumesucker]

9. If the doggie is reaching them while they are still on the table..

They're not necessarily "scraps".. :)