Around 3000 BC, in ancient Mesopotamia, the celestial north pole was located near Draco alpha star Tubarn, not the present pole star due to precession of the equinox.

The Mesopotamian region is mainly located between 30°N and 36.5°N, which means that in ancient times, Big Dipper etc. would have been the circumpolar star. The Mul Apin Clay Tablet Document lists six constellation from 15-20 on the "Way of Enlil" as the constellation celestial north pole.

They are the "cart," the "fox (the big bear)," the "mare sheep," the "yoke," the "heavenly cart," and the "heir of the majestic temple called constellation.
See the theory by David Pingree for identification of these constellation with the current stars. Let's look at both Pingree's Star chart and Cabin White's constellation proposal for the northern sky as published in his book "Babylonian Satr-lore".

Big Dipper is the most prominent constellation in the northern sky, consisting of seven bright stars with altitudes of 1.8, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 1.8, 2.2, and 1.9 magnitude, in order from the tines to the handle. It is almost certain that the "cart" and constellation in the "Mur Apin Clay Plate Document" are the same as Big Dipper. Pingree assigns the cart to Big Dipper and the following "fox" to the dark starburst numbered 80-86 in Ursa Major. The number 80 in Ursa Major corresponds to Alcore, the famous naked-eye double star of Mizar, the second star in the pattern at Big Dipper. In the Mur Apin Clay Tablet, the fox is inscribed with the inscription, "The star is located on the shaft of the cart.

This is why White's figure depicts the fox on the shaft.