Companion Animals, Domestication, AKC Breeds, 9/11 Roles, and Dog Sports

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering companion animal terminology, domestication theories, AKC groups, 9/11 working dog research, and DockDogs competition disciplines.

Companion Animal

A domesticated animal that has a close relationship with humans and whose emotional and physical needs can be met by humans.

"Companion" Etymology

Derived from the Latin roots com (meaning break) and panis (meaning bread).

Domestication

The time period during which the selective breeding, care, and feeding of an entire species comes under the control of humans.

Taming

The process of training a single wild animal to not be aggressive towards humans.

Feral

A domesticated species that has reverted back entirely to living in a wild state.

Commensal Pathway to Domestication Hypothesis

Also called the self-domestication hypothesis; the theory that wolves were attracted to food scraps at human garbage dumps, allowing tamer proto-dogs to eat better, reproduce more successfully, and pass on tameness genes.

Zooarchaeology

A discipline combining zoology and archaeology that studies animal remains (bones, teeth, hair, skin, and mummies) from archaeological sites to understand past human-animal relationships.

Carbon Dating

A scientific process used to estimate the age of material that was once living based on carbon content.

Species (Canis lupus)

A group of animals that can breed with each other to produce fertile offspring.

Breed

Animals having a common genetic origin and characteristics (physical and temperament) that distinguish them from other groups within the same species.

Phenotype

The set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.

American Kennel Club (AKC)

The organization in the U.S. for registering and showing purebred dogs, recognizing $208$ breeds as of August 21, 2026.

AKC Breed Groups

The seven categories in which purebred dogs are shown: Sporting, Hound, Working, Herding, Non-Sporting, Toy, and Terrier. Except for Non-Sporting, breeds are placed based on their original job.

Search & Rescue (SAR) Dogs

Working dogs deployed to locate individuals in emergency areas; study of $9/11$ SAR dogs showed an average lifespan of $12.5$ years with main injuries being dust in eyes or cuts to paws.

Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) Dogs

Dogs brought in to provide comfort after traumatic events, such as the ~$318$ AAA dogs that comforted workers and families at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Family Assistance Centers following $9/11$.

Dr. Cynthia Otto

Professor of Working Dog Sciences & Sports Medicine and Director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center who deployed with PA-TF1 after $9/11$ and initiated a $15$-year longitudinal study on search dogs.

Sirius

A Port Authority Police dog handled by Officer David Lim, who was stationed in the South Tower of the World Trade Center and was the sole dog fatality on $9/11/2001$.

Big Air®

A DockDogs® discipline acting as a long jump for dogs where distance is judged from the end of a $40\text{ ft}$ dock to where the dog's tail set breaks the water's surface.

Extreme Vertical®

A DockDogs® high jump discipline where the dog starts at the $20\text{ ft}$ mark on the dock and jumps to grab a bumper toy extended $8\text{ ft}$ out over the water, starting at $4\text{ ft } 6\text{ in}$ and increasing in $2\text{ in}$ increments.

Speed Retrieve®

A timed DockDogs® event where a dog starts at the $20\text{ ft}$ mark, swims a $40\text{ ft}$ pool, and pulls a bumper toy suspended $2\text{ in}$ above the water from a bracket.

Dueling Dogs™

A DockDogs® competition discipline introduced in $2015$ testing head-to-head speed as two dogs race in separate lanes to retrieve a bumper first.

Iron Dog

A DockDogs® combined ranking introduced in $2010$ for teams competing in Big Air, Extreme Vertical, and Speed Retrieve at a single event.

Categories of Domesticated Animals

The three general categories of domestic animals: Pets (kept for companionship), Livestock (farmed for food or materials), and Work (utilized for labor or transportation).