146 British War Dogs 



a glorious star, whose appearance always coincided with 

 the rising of the Nile, which would bring him all he desired 

 for his land. His simple mind was impressed with the 

 fidelity of the star, and casting about for the most faithful 

 thing he could think of to compare it with, he remembered 

 his dog, and so called Sirius the Dog Star. Blaze, a writer 

 on the dog in 1843, says : 



" The dog being a symbol of Vigilance, it was thus 

 intended to warn princes of their constant duty to watch 

 over the welfare of their people. The dog was worshipped 

 principally at Hermopolis the Great, and ultimately in all 

 towns in Egypt." 



The city of Cynopolis was built in honour of the dog, 

 and priests celebrated solemn festivals in its honour. All 

 this showed that certain very high qualities were recog- 

 nized as appertaining to the dog, and while one section of 

 the inhabitants of the world utterly failed to appreciate 

 this, another large portion jealously preserved the high 

 and noble concept of man's friend and comrade. We, 

 therefore, owe a great debt of gratitude to these early dog 

 lovers, as they, without doubt, preserved those qualities 

 in the dog from which we benefit at the present day. The 

 dog in those Eastern countries, where the inhabitants have 

 for centuries looked upon it as an outcast, even to this day 

 shows a lack of sympathy and understanding towards man. 

 These qualities, and also intelligence, courage and fidelity, 

 are all there, and were the attitude of the human being 

 in these countries towards the dog to change, they would 

 revive. 



An interesting article by Colonel Hamilton Smith, pub- 

 lished in 1861, points out that : " Even the Mohammedans, 

 while they shrink from his touch as defilement, are com- 

 pelled to recognize the courage and fidelity of the dog. 



