I would think we would see (maybe some of you do?) gnawing on large
bones then.

I've seen dog-chewed mammal bones in the backyard (and many 'disappear'
eventually, if they arent massive bones).  This would be easily evident
on the food refuse bones found at sites...if theses animals were also
around, eating the chicken bones.   
We would also find splintered bone (from animal jaws)...IF they didn't
consume it all.  And our faunal analyst could tell bone split with flesh
on it (human butchering techniques)...from bone split (by teeth) after
the fact (after cooking)...I think.

>-----Original Message-----
>From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
>Behalf Of Lyle E. Browning
>Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 7:56 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: avian bones get eaten...gnaw marks on artifacts
>
>On Aug 30, 2007, at 9:46 PM, Carol Serr wrote:
>
>> So...you are saying that dogs/pigs Don't eat discarded cow, 
>sheep, or 
>> pig bones?

>Sorry, don't see how you could infer that from my post. Of 
>course they eat them, but as they're more robust, they are 
>less likely to be consumed entirely.
>
>> I sure thot folks gave their dog "soup bones" to chew on (and they 
>> bury them)...
>Dogs, cats and pigs are the garbagemen of the rural life. One 
>problem I remember with dogs and chicken bones was that they'd 
>splinter the smaller ones, causing problems if eaten. So cats 
>got the first crack at chicken bones, and the dog go the thigh bones.