A Late Prehistoric Dog Burial Associated with Human Graves in Orange County, California

Abstract

The aboriginal dog exhumed at CA-Ora-849, a Late Prehistoric camp site in southern Orange County, California, is the only known animal burial from the territory historically occupied by the Juaneno. The specimen was found in association with human burials, a typical occurrence for animal burials in the California culture area. The juvenile canine was placed in its grave in a flexed position, without grave goods. Dog burials in California are interpreted as representing ritualized disposal of deceased pets or the destruction of personal property attendant to the funeral of the animal's owner. Evidence of the dog's diet, a cluster of partly digested rabbit and gopher bones and a deer proximal phalanx, was recovered from the visceral area of the skeleton.