All dogs, wild and domestic, are direct descendants of wolves. Dogs have been bred as pets and companions for thousands of years with the earliest known domestication taking place over 12,000 years ago. Today, dogs serve their best friend in several ways: as guides, home security, search and rescue, for hunting purposes, and to assist police in tracking criminals. There are over 400 recognized breeds of domestic dogs ranging from the smallest, the Chihuahua, to the largest of the breeds, the Irish wolfhound.nSpecifications:nnThis is a vintage specimen; sold as-is without further cleaning or repairsnMay be missing some smaller bonesnIncludes a labeled skeletal diagram pagenSkeleton Length 55 cm (21.7 in)nSkeleton Width 12 cm (4.7 in)