THE VARIETIES OF THE DOG.
THIRD DIVISION.
'The muzzle more or less shortened, the frontal sinus enlarged, and
the cranium elevated and diminished in capacity.'
At the head of this inferior or brutal division of dogs stands
THE BULL-DOG.
The round, thick head, turned-up nose, and thick and pendulous lips of
this dog are familiar to all, while his ferocity makes him in the
highest degree dangerous. In general he makes a silent although
ferocious attack, and the persisting powers of his teeth and jaws enable
him to keep his hold against any but the greatest efforts, so that the
utmost mischief is likely to ensue as well to the innocent visitor of
his domicile as the ferocious intruder. The bull-dog is scarcely capable
of any education, and is fitted for nothing but ferocity and combat.
The name of this dog is derived from his being too often employed, until
a few years ago, in baiting the bull. It was practised by the low and
dissolute in many parts of the country. Dogs were bred and trained for
the purpose; and, while many of them were injured or destroyed, the head
of the bull was lacerated in the most barbarous manner. Nothing can
exceed the fury with which the bull-dog rushed on his foe, and the
obstinacy with which he maintained his hold. He fastened upon the lip,
the muzzle, or the eye, and there he hung in spite of every effort of
the bull to free himself from his antagonist.
Bull-dogs are not so numerous as they were a few years ago; and every
kind-hearted person will rejoice to hear that bull-baiting is now put
down by legal authority in every part of the kingdom.
THE BULL TERRIER.
This dog is a cross between the bull-dog and the terrier, and is
generally superior, both in appearance and value, to either of its
progenitors. A second cross considerably lessens the underhanging of the
lower jaw, and a third entirely removes it, retaining the spirit and
determination of the animal. It forms a steadier friendship than either
of them, and the principal objection to it is its love of wanton
mischief, and the dangerous irascibility which it occasionally exhibits.
Sir Walter Scott, a warm friend of dogs, and whose veracity cannot be
impeached, gives an interesting account of a favourite one belonging to
him.
"The cleverest dog I ever had was what is called a bull-dog terrier. I
taught him to understand a great many words, insomuch that I am
positive the communication between the canine species and ourselves
might be greatly enlarged. Camp, the name of my dog, once bit the
baker when bringing bread to the family. I beat him, and explained the
enormity of the offence; after which, to the last moment of his life,
he never heard the least allusion to the story without creeping into
the darkest corner of the room. Towards the end of his life when he
was unable to attend me while I was on horseback, he generally watched
for my return, and, when the servant used to tell him, his master was
coming down the hill, or through the moor, although he did not use any
gesture to explain his meaning, Camp was never known to mistake him,
but either went out at the front to go up the hill, or at the back to
get down to the moor-side."
THE MASTIFF
The head considerably resembles that of the bull-dog, but with the ears
dependent. The upper lip falls over the lower jaw. The end of the tail
is turned up, and frequently the fifth toe of the hind feet is more or
less developed. The nostrils are separated one from another by a deep
furrow. He has a grave and somewhat sullen countenance, and his
deep-toned bark is often heard during the night. The mastiff is taller
than the bull-dog, but not so deep in the chest, and his head is large
compared with his general form.
It is probable that the mastiff is an original breed peculiar to the
British islands.
He seems to be fully aware of the impression which his large size makes
on every stranger; and, in the night especially, he watches the abode of
his master with the completest vigilance; in fact, nothing would tempt
him to betray the confidence which is reposed in him.
Captain Brown states that,
"notwithstanding his commanding appearance and the strictness with
which he guards the property of his master, he is possessed of the
greatest mildness of conduct, and is as grateful for any favours
bestowed upon him as is the most diminutive of the canine tribe. There
is a remarkable and peculiar warmth in his attachments. He is aware of
all the duties required of him, and he punctually discharges them. In
the course of the night he several times examines every thing with
which he is intrusted with the most scrupulous care, and, by repeated
barkings, warns the household or the depredator that he is at the post
of duty." [1]
The mastiff from Cuba requires some mention, and will call up some of
the most painful recollections in the history of the human race. He was
not a native of Cuba, but imported into the country.
The Spaniards had possessed themselves of several of the South American
islands. They found them peopled with Indians, and those of a sensual,
brutish, and barbarous class--continually making war with their
neighbours, indulging in an irreconcilable hatred of the Spaniards, and
determined to expel and destroy them. In self-defence, they were driven
to some means of averting the destruction with which they were
threatened. They procured some of these mastiffs, by whose assistance
they penetrated into every part of the country, and destroyed the
greater portion of the former inhabitants.
Las Casas, a Catholic priest, and whose life was employed in
endeavouring to mitigate the sufferings of the original inhabitants,
says that
"it was resolved to march against the Indians, who had fled to the
mountains, and they were chased like wild beasts, with the assistance
of bloodhounds, who had been trained to a thirst for human blood, so
that before I had left the island it had become almost entirely a
desert."
THE ICELAND DOG.
The head is rounder than that of the northern dogs; the ears partly
erect and partly pendent; and the fur soft and long, especially behind
the fore legs and on the tail. It much resembles the Turkish dog removed
to a colder climate.
This dog is exceedingly useful to the Icelanders while travelling over
the snowy deserts of the north. By a kind of intuition he rarely fails
in choosing the shortest and the safest course. He also is more aware
than his master of the approach of the snow storms; and is a most
valuable ally against the attack of the Polar bear, who, drifted on
masses of ice from the neighbouring continent, often commits
depredations among the cattle, and even attacks human beings. When the
dog is first aware of the neighbourhood of the bear, he sets up a
fearful howl, and men and dogs hasten to hunt down and destroy the
depredator.
The travelling in Iceland is sometimes exceedingly dangerous at the
beginning of the winter. A thin layer of snow covers and conceals some
of the chasms with which that region abounds. Should the traveller fall
into one of them, the dog proves a most useful animal; for he runs
immediately across the snowy waste, and, by his howling, induces the
traveller's friends to hasten to his rescue.
THE TERRIER
The forehead is convex; the eye prominent; the muzzle pointed; the tail
thin and arched; the fur short; the ears of moderate size, half erect,
and usually of a deep-black colour, with a yellow spot over the eyes. It
is an exceedingly useful animal; but not so indispensable an
accompaniment to a pack of fox-hounds as it used to be accounted. Foxes
are not so often unearthed as they formerly were, yet many a day's sport
would be lost without the terrier. Some sportsmen used to have two
terriers accompanying in the pack, one being smaller than the other.
This was a very proper provision; a large terrier might be incapable of
penetrating into the earth, and a small one might permit the escape of
the prey. Many terriers have lost their lives by scratching up the earth
behind them, and thus depriving themselves of all means of retreat.
The coat of the terrier may be either smooth or rough; the smooth-haired
ones are more delicate in appearance, and are somewhat more exposed to
injury or accident; but in courage, sagacity, and strength, there is
very little difference if the dogs are equally well bred. The rough
terrier possibly obtained his shaggy coat from the cur, and the smooth
terrier may derive his from the hound.
The terrier is seldom of much service until he is twelve months old; and
then, incited by natural propensity, or the example of the older ones,
or urged on by the huntsman, he begins to discharge his supposed duty.
An old terrier is brought to the mouth of the earth in which a vixen
fox--a fox with her young ones--has taken up her abode, and is sent in
to worry and drive her out. Some young terriers are brought to the mouth
of the hover, to listen to the process that is going forward within, and
to be excited to the utmost extent of which they are capable. The vixen
is at length driven out, and caught at the mouth of the hole; and the
young ones are suffered to rush in, and worry or destroy their first
prey. They want no after-tuition to prepare them for the discharge of
their duty.
This may be pardoned. It is the most ready way of training the young dog
to his future business; but it is hoped that no reader of this work will
be guilty of the atrocities that are often practised. An old fox, or
badger, is caught, his under jaw is sawn off, and the lower teeth are
forcibly extracted, or broken. A hole is then dug in the earth, or a
barrel is placed large and deep enough to permit a terrier, or perhaps
two of them, to enter. Into this cavity the fox or badger is thrust, and
a terrier rushes after him, and drags him out again. The question to be
ascertained is, how many times in a given period the dog will draw this
poor tortured animal out of the barrel--an exhibition of cruelly which
no one should be able to lay to the charge of any human being. It is a
principle not to be departed from, that wanton and useless barbarity
should never be permitted. The government, to a certain extent, has
interfered, and a noble society has been established to limit, or, if
possible, to prevent the infliction of useless pain.
The terrier is, however, a valuable dog, in the house and the farm. The
stoat, the pole-cat, and the weazel, commit great depredations in the
fields, the barn, and granary; and to a certain extent, the terrier is
employed in chasing them; but it is not often that he has a fair chance
to attack them. He is more frequently used in combating the rat.
The mischief effected by rats is almost incredible. It has been said
that, in some cases, in the article of corn, these animals consume a
quantity of food equal in value to the rent of the farm. Here the dog is
usefully employed, and in his very element, especially if there is a
cross of the bull-dog about him.
There are some extraordinary accounts of the dexterity, as well as
courage, of the terrier in destroying rats. The feats of a dog called
"Billy" will he long remembered. He was matched to destroy one hundred
large rats in eight and a half minutes. The rats were brought into the
ring in bags, and, as soon as the number was complete, he was put over
the railing. In six minutes and thirty-five seconds they were all
destroyed. In another match he destroyed the same number in six minutes
and thirteen seconds. At length, when he was getting old, and had but
two teeth and one eye left, a wager was laid of thirty sovereigns, by
the owner of a Berkshire bitch, that she would kill fifty rats in less
time than Billy. The old dog killed his fifty in five minutes and six
seconds. The pit was then cleared, and the bitch let in. When she had
killed thirty rats, she was completely exhausted, fell into a fit, and
lay barking and yelping, utterly incapable of completing her task.
The speed of the terrier is very great. One has been known to run six
miles in thirty-two minutes. He needs to be a fleet dog if, with his
comparatively little bulk, he can keep up with the foxhound.
A small breed of 'wry-legged' terriers was once in repute, and, to a
certain degree, is retained for the purpose of hunting rabbits. It
probably originated in some rickety specimens, remarkable for the slow
development of their frame, except in the head, the belly, and the
joints, which enlarge at the expense of the other parts.
THE SCOTCH TERRIER
There is reason to believe that this dog is far older than the English
terrier. There are three varieties: first the common Scotch terrier,
twelve or thirteen inches high; his body muscular and compact--
considerable breadth across the loins--the legs shorter and stouter than
those of the English terriers. The head large in proportion to the size
of the body--the muzzle small and pointed--strong marks of intelligence
in the countenance--warm attachment to his master, and the evident
devotion of every power to the fulfilment of his wishes. The hair is
long and tough, and extending over the whole of the frame. In colour,
they are black or fawn: the white, yellow, or pied are always deficient
in purity of blood.
Another species has nearly the same conformation, but is covered with
longer, more curly, and stouter hair; the legs being apparently, but not
actually, shorter. This kind of dog prevails in the greater part of the
Western Islands of Scotland, and some of them, where the hair has
obtained its full development, are much admired.
Her Majesty had one from Islay, a faithful and affectionate creature,
yet with all the spirit and determination that belongs to his breed. The
writer of this account had occasion to operate on this poor fellow, who
had been bitten under somewhat suspicious circumstances. He submitted
without a cry or a struggle, and seemed to be perfectly aware that we
should not put him to pain without having some good purpose in view.
A third species of terrier is of a considerably larger bulk, and three
or four inches taller than either of the others. Its hair is shorter
than that of the other breeds, and is hard and wiry.
THE SHOCK-DOG
is traced by Buffon, but somewhat erroneously, to a mixture of the small
Danish dog and the pug. The head is round, the eyes large, but somewhat
concealed by its long and curly hair, the tail curved and bent forward.
The muzzle resembles that of the pug. It is of small size, and is used
in this country and on the Continent as a lap-dog. It is very properly
described by the author of "The Field Book" as a useless little animal,
seeming to possess no other quality than that of a faithful attachment
to his mistress.
THE ARTOIS DOG
with his short, flat muzzle, is a produce of the shock-dog and the pug.
He has nothing peculiar to recommend him.
THE ANDALUSIAN, OR ALICANT DOG,
has the short muzzle of the pug with the long hair of the spaniel.
THE EGYPTIAN AND BARBARY DOG,
according to Cuvier, has a very thick and round head, the ears erect at
the base, large and movable, and carried horizontally, the skin nearly
naked, and black or dark flesh-colour, with large patches of brown. A
sub-variety has a kind of mane behind the head, formed of long stiff
hairs.
Buffon imagines that the shepherd's dog--transported to different
climates, and acquiring different habits--was the ancestor of the
various species with which almost every country abounds; but whence they
originally came it is impossible to say. They vary in their size, their
colour, their attitude, their usual exterior, and their strangely
different interior construction. Transported into various climates, they
are necessarily submitted to the influence of heat and cold, and of food
more or less abundant and more or less suitable to their natural
organization; but the reason or the derivation of these differences of
structure it is not always easy to explain.
[Footnote 1: Brown's 'Biographical Sketches', p. 425.]
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