How long have dogs been alive?

The answer to how long dogs have been alive depends on what you mean by "dogs".

* Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris): The earliest evidence of domestication dates back around 15,000 to 23,000 years ago, though there is ongoing debate about the exact timing and location. This is based on archaeological evidence like skeletal remains and ancient depictions of dogs.

* Wolves (Canis lupus), the ancestors of domestic dogs, have been around for much longer, with fossil records suggesting they appeared roughly 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.

So, depending on your definition, dogs have been around for tens of thousands of years, or even hundreds of thousands of years.