Dog burial as common ritual in Neolithic populations of north-eastern Iberian Peninsula
(PHYSorg.com Archaeology & Fossils)

Coinciding with the Pit Grave culture (4200-3600 years before our era) in Southern Europe, the Neolithic communities of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula conducted ceremonial activity related to the sacrifice and burial of dogs. The high number of cases recorded in Catalonia suggests it was a general practice, and it proves the tight relationship between humans and these animals, which, apart from being buried next to them, were fed a diet similar to that of humans.