Question 26 - Reading: Level M Practice Test for the TABE Test

Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are domesticated mammals, not natural wild animals. They were originally bred from wolves. Dogs have been bred by humans for more than 30,000 years and were the first animals ever to be domesticated. Since their domestication, dogs have been used by humans for many purposes.

Early dogs were likely used to help humans hunt. Then, when livestock were domesticated, dogs were used to help herd the animals and guard them from predators. Dogs have also been used as protection to guard property or people. Today, many people own dogs as pets, but other dogs still work. Dogs can be trained to be used by military and police forces to sniff for explosives or drugs. They can be trained for search and rescue operations or to serve as comfort pets for people experiencing stressful situations. Dogs can also be trained as service dogs to help the blind or the disabled. Some people still use dogs to help them hunt.

Dogs make the best pets because they are playful, friendly, and loyal. There are at least 800 breeds, or kinds, of dogs. Thirty million dogs in the United States are registered as pets.

Dogs are sometimes called “canines” from the Latin word for dog, canis. A baby dog is called a pup or puppy. A dog is called a puppy until it is about one year old.