DOG 



1827 



DOG 



world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog 

 asks no higher privilege than that of accompany- 

 ing him to guard against danger, to fight against 

 his enemies. And, when the last scene of all 

 comes, and death takes the master in its em- 

 brace, and his body is laid away in the cold 

 ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their 

 way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be 

 found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad 

 but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true 

 even to death. 



Origin. The earliest date of domestication 

 of the dog is a matter of dispute, but he was 

 the companion of man before history was first 

 recorded. There is no doubt, however, that 

 dogs are the descendants of several different 

 kinds of wolves and jackals. Various breeds 

 of dogs are now found everywhere, except 

 perhaps in New Zealand. They serve the can- 

 nibals of the Pacific islands, the Eskimos of 

 the frozen north, the red men of the prairies 

 and the white men of all civilized cities of the 

 world. A few of the habits of their wild 

 ancestors of the jungles and plain are still 

 retained by the dogs of the household, such 

 as digging up the earth with their forefeet 

 and throwing it back with the hind feet, and 

 turning around two or three times before lying 

 down. If left to themselves some kinds of 

 dogs would no doubt again become wild, as 

 did the dogs left on Robinson Crusoe's island 

 and as did the noble beast in Jack London's 

 Call of the Wild. They would lose their bark, 

 which observers consider an attempt to imitate 

 the human voice, and would merely yelp and 

 howl. Wild dogs are found in Southern Asia 

 and in the islands of the Pacific. In Australia 

 one species, a destroyer of sheep, is known as 

 the dingo. The wild dog of India is the dhole, 

 about which Kipling has written. 



Breeds and'Characteristics. There are about 

 two hundred breeds of domestic dogs, which 

 vary greatly in size, appearance and structure. 

 All, like the cat, have five toes on the fore- 

 feet and four on the hind feet, but the claws 

 are duller, shorter and not re- 

 tractile, that is, cannot be drawn 

 back into the toes. All earn their 

 keep for some special service to 

 the master, ranging from mere 

 companionship, affection and de- 

 votion to the protection of life 

 and property. All the important 

 breeds of dogs are described in 

 separate articles in these volumes, 

 and a list of these will be found 

 under the heading Related Sub- 

 jects at the end of this article. 



Dogs That Work. In snow- and ice-bound 

 northern lands dogs play an important part 

 in the activities of man. In Alaska, sled dogs 

 and reindeers are employed almost entirely 

 for transportation. Dogs which are half wolf, 

 called malamutcs, are harnessed to sleds in a 

 line, one before the other. Those dogs are 

 thievish and are fierce fighters, however, and 

 the Labrador huskies, a longer-legged, more 

 efficient cross-bred dog, is taking the place of 

 the malamutes. These "huskies" are harnessed 

 abreast so they spread out in a fan-shaped 

 team. Usually seven or nine dogs make such 

 a team, and the burden for each is about 150 

 pounds. Many dogs are .in the employ of the 

 United States government in Alaska, carrying 

 mail. 



One of the interesting sights in Belgium is 

 the little shop and vegetable market on 

 wheels. Here and there on city corners, on 

 a pleasant day, dog-drawn carts are seen, 

 filled with wares to be sold to the passer-by 

 (see page 665). In other European countries 

 dogs earn their living in many unusual ways. 

 As members of the armies, the dogs of war 

 are trained as sentries, messengers, scouts and 

 ambulance dogs. They search the battlefield 

 for the wounded and missing, and in this 

 work are invaluable, for they do not need 

 light and can do the work by night, merely 

 by scent. These animal Red Cross helpers 

 bear flasks of brandy or soup and a roll of 

 bandages about their necks for the relief of 

 wounded men. By following the tinkle of 

 bells on the dog's neck, stretcher bearers know 

 where to go, and a low whine from the dog 

 announces that a man has been found. 



Hounds are employed in police departments 

 of many large European cities, where they aid 

 in capturing criminals. The use of various 

 kinds of dogs as hunters of game is well known 

 everywhere. The collie is a famous shepherd 

 dog, and is described under its title. Stories 

 about the rescuing of lost trav- 

 elers in the Alps by the great 

 Saint Bernards, and the saving 

 of the drowning by those strong 

 .swimmers, the Newfoundlands, 

 are numerous, interesting and 

 true. It is said that one Saint 

 Bernard called "Old Barry" res- 

 cued forty-two men in the Alps 

 truly a medal-deserving hero. 



Dogs, too, have served in the 

 cause of humanity. An Eng- 

 lish dog, called "Help," traveled 



