ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what lays behind the special longstanding relationship between dogs and humans, which can be traced back to prehistoric times. The chapter is organised in three parts: the first part comments on historical sources and challenges for a study of this relationship; the second part briefly discusses the specific roles that dogs have played in history, particularly as human companions; and the third part explains the background to the growing interest in bringing dogs into educational settings. The chapter concludes by arguing that the historical view of dogs as passive objects for humans to act upon or ‘use’ as resources or tools is now educationally and ethically inappropriate.
