Dog (Canis familiaris)

The remains of this dog (Canis familiaris) were unearthed at a mid-19th century Euro-Canadian site in Vaughn by Archaeological Services Inc. in 2004. The bones were recovered from a refuse pit which was one of four identifiable features at the Edgar archaeological site, notable for its excellent preservation. The nearly complete skeleton indicates this dog was large, approximately German shepherd sized. Ossification of the cartilage on the ribs and loss of bone around the joints lead archaeologists to believe that the remains represent an old dog.