close-up of stratigraphy at the grounds of the Fountain of Youth Archaeology Park. St. Augustine is the first U.S. American settlement to be continuously inhabited by Europeans, since 1565... The darker top layer is full of oyster shell, basically indicating a trash heap made by the settlers and / or Indians. Where this layer ends (the lighter, finer sandy soil) is pretty much Pre-Contact time (Indain settlement, before the Europeans came)... Kathy D. and some of the other archaeologists believe that the dog was a pet, because it was laid out so nicely.