ANECDOTES ABOUT DOGS, PERSONAL AND SELECTED
I have generally found persons, whether doggy or not, interested in
anecdotes about dogs, particularly those displaying their intelligence,
fidelity and courage. Some of the following are within my own knowledge,
all are related as being believed to be true. I have selected those I
fancied might be interesting out of a great many I have collected, but
some of them may have appeared elsewhere.
We were telling of the extraordinary ways dogs will find their way home,
alone, when a farmer in my district named Churchill said, "Yes, you see
that Sheep dog," pointing to a large merle, rather old-fashioned type of
Collie, called by his master "Ben." "Well," he said, "I was down at my
daughter's in the lower part of Somersetshire, and had taken Ben there
with me, by rail, and while we were all in the garden in the evening, I
went into the house for something or other, and Ben missed me. He at
once jumped the fence and set off on the return journey just as darkness
was coming on, but he could not have wasted much time about it, as my
servants told me he was back at my farm, more than forty miles distant,
very early the next morning, and they kept looking out for me, as we
were generally not far away from each other. I had that dog from a
puppy, and I knew he had never seen that road before, it was dark soon
after he started, yet he must have travelled at the rate of five or six
miles an hour all the way, and at a time when there would be few people
or conveyances about to help him."
I had a very similar experience with a dog of another breed. I had been
travelling in the island of Skye, and bought from a game-keeper at a
romantic looking village called Uig, a young dog, which he called a
Short-Haired Skye Terrier, but which was, really, what is now known as a
Scottish, or Aberdeen Terrier, called by the Gaelic name of "Fraochen,"
which I believe means heather, and was very appropriate in his case, for
he was just that sort of brindle grizzled colour, that if he was in the
heather (as I noticed many times while he was with me,) you could hardly
distinguish him from it.
After going about with us to various places, I brought him to my
mother's house at Clifton in Gloucestershire, where I was making a short
stay, and the following day I went out for a drive over the Durdham
Downs, through Westbury, Henbury, etc., to a village, about ten or
twelve miles from Clifton, and (as I have since thought very foolishly,)
I allowed, "Fraochen," to follow the trap, and several times during the
journey, there I noticed him running by the side, or in front, but when
we had accomplished the journey and were about to return by a different
route, I missed him, and it then struck me, what a fool I had been, to
take out a young dog, not only along a strange road, but in a country
which he had never before seen, and quite a contrast to his native home
in Skye. I of course gave him up as lost, which I much regretted, as his
cool, independent manner and quaint, jaunty air had greatly endeared him
to me, during the time we had been acquainted. However, when I returned
to Clifton, I had to pass one place, near where some of the houses of
the Clifton college masters now stand, where four roads meet, by one of
which I must come to reach my mother's house. On the space in the
centre, and commanding a view of these four, sat "Fraochen," waiting our
approach. How he managed to get over the ten or twelve miles of quite
unknown country, (as I found that he, like ourselves, came back by a
different route from the one we went by,) I do not know, but I asked
several travellers we met, if they had noticed a dog coming towards them
along the road, and most of them answered they did, and that he was
"running like steam," or he "wasn't wasting much time about it," etc.
He lived with me until his death from old age, many years afterwards but
was quite a character in many ways. One of his peculiarities was, if he
was out with my wife, with whom he was a prime favourite, without me, he
considered her under his special protection, no matter how many or how
large any of the other dogs out at same time might be, and if he was on,
ever so far in front, and he met any rough-looking or suspicious
character of the tramp species, he would immediately return and walk
close to my wife's side, so as to come between her and the
objectionable person, and continue that position so long as he was
anywhere near.
We were talking of the speed of Greyhounds, which has been said to be
equal to that of the fleetest horse, and a singular circumstance which
occurred at Doncaster, in Yorkshire, sometime since, proved that it was
not much inferior. A mare cantering over the Doncaster course, her
competitor having been withdrawn, was joined by a Greyhound bitch, when
she had proceeded about a mile, she seemed determined to race with the
mare, which the jockey on the latter humoured, and gradually increased
his pace, until at the distance, they put themselves at their full
speed. The mare beat her antagonist only by a short head.
The race horse is perhaps from his superior strength and length of
stride, generally able to outrun the Greyhound on level ground, but the
latter would have the pull over him in a hilly country, or over ground
at all rough or uneven.
The Greyhound is said to be deficient in attachment to his master and in
general intelligence. There is some truth in the imputation, but he has,
in fact, far less even than the hound, the opportunity of forming
individual attachments and no other exercise of the mind is required of
him, than to follow the game which starts up before him and catch it, if
he can. If, however, he is closely watched, he will be found to have all
the intellect his situation requires.
In illustration of this, I remember reading in a very old doggy book,
an account of two greyhounds said to be as arrant thieves as ever lived.
They would now and then steal into the cooking house, belonging to the
kennels, lift up the boiler lid with their noses or paws, and if any
portion of the joints or pieces of meat rose above the water, suddenly
seize them and before there was time for them to suffer much from the
heat, fling it out on the stone floor and eat it at their leisure, when
it had grown cold. In order to prevent this, the top of the boiler was
secured by an iron rod, passing under its handle and tied to the handle
of the boiler on each side; and not many days passed before they found
out they could gnaw the cords around it, displace the rod and fish out
the meat as before. Small chains were then substituted for the cords and
the meat was cooked in safety for nearly a week, when they found that by
rearing on their hind legs and applying their united strength towards
the upper part of the boiler, they could lift it off the fire and roll
it on the floor, so getting at the soup or broth, although the meat was
not in their reach. The keeper who looked after them expressed himself
heartily glad when they were gone, for he said he was often afraid to go
into the kennel, wondering what they would be up to next, and felt sure
they were demons, and not dogs at all.
A singular story is told of King Richard II. of England, and a dog of
this breed. It is given in the quaint language of Froissart. "A
Greyhound called Mithe, who always wayted upon ye Kynge, and wolde know
no man els. For when so ever ye Kynge did ryde, he that kept ye
Greyhounde dyd lette hym lose, and he wolde streyht runne to ye Kynge
and faun uppon hym and leape with his fore fete upon ye shoulders of ye
Kynge. It came to passe that onne daye as ye Kynge and ye Erle of Darbye
talked togyther in ye yarde of ye Courte ye Greyhounde who was wonte to
leape uppon ye Kynge, left ye Kynge and came to ye Erle of Darbye, Duke
of Lancastre, and made to hym the same friendlye continuance, and chere
as he was wonte to do to ye Kynge. The Duke, who knew not ye dogge, nor
whence he came, demanded of ye Kynge what ye Greyhounde wolde do.
Cousin, quoth ye Kynge, it is a great good token to you, but an evyl and
a gruesome signe to me. How know ye that, quod ye Duke. I know it fulle
wele, quod ye Kynge. Ye Greyhounde acknowledgethe and acceptethe you,
here this daye as ye ryteful Kynge of Englande, as ye shal be, without
doubte, and I shal be streyghtwaye deposed; the Greyhounde hathe thys
knowledge, naturally, there fore take hym to you, he wil followe you and
forsake me. Ye Duke wel understoode those wordes and cheryshed ye
Greyhounde, who wolde never after followe Kynge Richarde, but continued
to follow at all tymes ye Duke of Lancastre."
The owner of the dog an English Water Spaniel, tells the following
anecdote, which is stated to be absolutely true: "I was once on the
seacoast, when a small, ill-made and leaky fishing boat was cast on
shore, on a dangerous reef of rocks. Three men and a boy of ten years,
constituted the crew, the men swam to land, but were so bruised and
knocked about against the rocks that they were unable to render any
assistance to the poor boy, and no one was found to venture out to help
him. I heard the noise and went to the spot with my dog, I spoke to him
and in he went, more like a seal or other marine animal, than a dog, and
after several vain attempts succeeded in mounting the wreck and laid
hold of the boy's clothes, who screamed and clung to the ropes, etc.,
being much frightened at being thus dragged into the water, as the waves
were dashing over the rocks. In the excitement and anxiety of the moment
I thought the dog had missed his hold, and stripped off most of my
clothes to render what assistance I could. I was just in the act of
springing in, having selected the time when the receding waves gave the
best chance, when I caught sight of old Bagsman, as my dog was called,
with the struggling boy, whose head was uppermost. I rushed to where
they must land and received both as they reached the shore.
Some time after I was out with the same dog, wild fowl shooting. We had
both been hard at work and I left him behind me, while I went to a
neighbouring town to get a supply of gunpowder. A man in a drunken
frolic had pushed off in a boat with a girl in it, the tide running out,
carried the boat quickly away, and the man being unable to swim, became
frightened and jumped overboard. Bagsman was near the spot, heard the
splash, jumped in, swam to the man, caught hold of him and brought him
twenty or thirty yards towards shore, when the drunken fellow clasped
the dog tightly round the body, and they both went down together. The
girl was saved by a boat going to her assistance. The body of the man
was recovered about an hour afterward with that of the dog, tightly
clasped in his arms, thus dragging both to the bottom."
The sagacity of the Poodle is well known, and their aptitude to learn
tricks. Mr. Wilkie, of Ladiethorn, in Northumberland, had one he had
instructed to go through all the apparent agonies of death. He would
fall on his side, stretch himself out and move his hind legs as if he
were in great pain; he would next simulate the convulsive throbs of
departing life, and then stretch out his limbs, and thus seem as if he
had expired; in this position he would remain motionless, until he heard
his master's command to rise.
Jesse, in his "Gleanings in Natural History," gives another illustration
of the intelligence of this breed. A friend of his had one that was not
always under proper command. To keep him in better order he purchased a
small whip, with which he, once or twice, corrected him during a walk.
On his return the whip was put on a table in the hall, but the next
morning it was missing. Soon afterwards it was found concealed in an
outhouse, and again used in correcting the dog. Once more it would have
been lost, but on a strict watch being kept upon the suspected dog, he
was seen to take it away from the hall table in order to once more hide
it away.
There are endless stories told of the life saving qualities of
Newfoundland dogs. I will here mention two of them. A German was
travelling one evening on foot through the Dyke country in Holland,
accompanied by a large specimen of this breed, walking on a high bank
which formed one side of a dyke, his foot slipped and he was
precipitated into the water, and being unable to swim soon lost his
senses. When he recovered consciousness, he found himself in a cottage
on the other side of the dyke, surrounded by peasants, who had been
using the means for the recovery of drowned persons. The account given
him by one of them was, that returning home from work he observed, some
distance off, a large dog in the water, swimming and dragging, and
sometimes pushing along something that he seemed to have great
difficulty in supporting, but which he at length succeeded in getting
into a small creek on the opposite side. When the animal had pulled what
he had hitherto supported, as far out of the water as he was able, the
peasant was able to discover that it was the body of a man, whose face
and hands the dog was industriously licking. He hastened to a bridge
across the dyke, and having obtained assistance, the body was conveyed
to a neighbouring house, where proper means soon restored the drowning
man to life. Two very considerable bruises, with the marks of teeth,
appeared one on his shoulder and the other on his poll, hence it was
presumed the faithful beast had first seized his master by the shoulder
and swam with him in this manner for sometime, but that his sagacity had
prompted him to quit this hold and to shift it to the nape of the neck,
by which he had been enabled to support the head out of the water and in
this way he had conveyed him, nearly a quarter of a mile, before he had
brought him to the creek where the banks were low and accessible.
Another story runs as follows: A vessel was driven on the beach at Lydd
in Kent. The surf was rolling furiously. Eight poor fellows were crying
for help, but no boat could be got off for their assistance. At length a
gentleman came down to the beach accompanied by a fine Newfoundland dog,
he directed the attention of the animal to the vessel and put a short
stick into his mouth. The intelligent and courageous fellow at once
understood his meaning, sprang into the sea, and fought his way through
the waves. He could not, however, on account of the high seas running,
get close enough to the vessel to deliver that with which he was
charged, but the crew understood what was meant, made fast a rope to
another piece of wood and threw it towards him. The noble beast dropped
his own piece of wood, and seized that which had been cast to him, and
then, with a degree of strength and determination scarcely credible, for
he was again and again lost sight of in the roaring sea, he dragged it
through the surge and delivered it to his master. A line of
communication was thus formed, and every man on board was rescued.
Referring to some of the breeds peculiar to northern climes the
following is told: A man named Chabert had a beautiful Siberian dog, who
would draw him in a light carriage twenty miles a day. He asked £200 for
him, and sold him for nearly that amount, for he was a most beautiful
specimen of his breed, and as docile as he was beautiful. Between the
sale and the delivery, the dog had an accident and broke his leg.
Chabert, to whom the money was an object of immense importance, was in
despair. He took the dog at night to a leading veterinary surgeon. He
formally introduced them to each other, he talked to the dog, pointed to
his leg, limped round the room, then requested the surgeon to apply some
bandages, etc., round the leg and then seemed to walk sound and well, he
patted the dog on the head, who was looking alternately at him and the
surgeon, desired the surgeon to pat him and offer him his hand to lick,
and then holding up his finger to the dog and gently shaking his head,
quitted the room and the house. The dog immediately laid himself down,
and submitted to a reduction of the fracture and the bandaging of the
limb, without a motion, except once or twice, licking the hand of the
operator. He was quite docile, and remained in a manner motionless, day
after day, until at the expiration of a month, the limb was sound. Not a
trace of the fracture was to be detected and the purchaser knew nothing
of it.
Many years ago, the following scene took place in a street adjoining
Hanover Square. It was an exhibition of a highly interesting character,
worthy to be recorded. The then editor of the "Lancet" having heard that
a French gentleman, Mr. Leonard, who had for some time been engaged in
instructing two dogs in various performances, that required the
exercise, not merely of the natural instincts of the animals and the
power of imitation, but of a higher intellect and degrees of reflection
and judgment far greater than is commonly developed in dogs, was then
residing in London, obtained an introduction, and was obligingly
favoured by Mr. Leonard, with an appointment to witness the performance
of his extraordinary pupils, and he thus describes the interview:
Two fine dogs of the Spanish breed were introduced by Mr. Leonard, with
the customary French politeness, the largest by the name of Philax, the
other as Brac (or Spot), the former had been in training three, the
latter two years. They were in vigourous health, and having bowed
gracefully, took their seats on the hearth rug side by side. Mr. Leonard
then gave a lively description of the means he had employed to develop
the brain power of these animals, how from being fond of the chase and
anxious to possess the best trained dogs, he had employed the usual
course of training, how the conviction had been impressed on his mind,
that by gentle usage and steady perseverance in making the animal repeat
over and over again, what was wanted, not only would he be capable of
performing the act required, but the part of the brain which was brought
into mental activity by the effort, would become more fully developed
and a permanent increase of power obtained.
After this introduction, Mr. Leonard spoke to his dogs in French in his
usual tone, ordering one to walk, the other to lie down, to run, gallop,
halt, crouch, etc., which they did as promptly and correctly as the most
docile children. Then he put them through the usual exercises of the
circus rings, which they performed as well as the best trained ponies at
any high class circus. He then placed six cards of different colours on
the floor, and sitting with his back to the dogs, directed one to pick
up the blue card, and the other the white one, etc., etc., varying his
orders rapidly, and speaking in such a manner that unless the dogs had a
perfect knowledge of the words used, they could not have carried out his
commands. For example, he said, "Philax, take the red card and give it
to Brac," and "Brac, take the white card and give it to Philax." The
dogs instantly did this and exchanged cards with each other. He then
said, "Philax, put your card on the green," and "Brac, put yours on the
blue," and this was immediately done. Pieces of bread and meat were
placed on the floor, also figured cards and varied directions and
instructions were given to the dogs, so as severely to test their
memories, obedience and intelligence. They brought the bread, meat, or
cards, as commanded, but did not attempt to eat any of the two former,
unless ordered to do so. Philax was then desired to fetch a piece of
meat and give it to Brac, and then Brac was told to give it back to
Philax, who was to return it to its place. Philax was next told he might
bring a piece of bread and eat it, but before he had time to swallow it,
his master forbade him and desired him to show he had obeyed orders, and
the dog instantly protruded the crust between his lips. While some of
these feats were being performed, Mr. Leonard loudly cracked a whip
occasionally, to prove that the animals were so completely under
discipline that they would give no heed to any noises or interruptions.
After many other performances Mr. Leonard invited Mr. Blanc, a gentleman
present, to play a game of dominoes with one of his dogs, which he
consented to do. The younger dog, Brac, seated himself on a chair at the
table and Messrs. Leonard and Blanc seated themselves opposite. Six
dominoes were placed on their edges, in the usual way, before the dog
and the same number before Mr. Blanc. The dog having amongst its numbers
a double number, took it up in its mouth and dropped it in the centre of
the table, Mr. Blanc added a single number to one side of it, the dog at
once played another correctly, and so on, till all the pieces were used
up. A fresh lot of six dominoes were then served out to each competitor
and Mr. Blanc (just to test the dog) intentionally put a wrong number in
the course of the game. The dog looked surprised and excited, stared
hard at Mr. Blanc, growled, and finally barked loudly. Finding no notice
taken of his remonstrances, he then pushed away the wrong domino, with
his nose, and put a right number, from amongst his own, in its place.
Mr. Blanc afterwards continued the play correctly and the game was won
by the dog. Not the slightest hint or information appeared to be given
by Mr. Leonard to the dog. This method of playing a game of dominoes
must have been entirely the result of his individual observation and
judgment. The performance was strictly private throughout, the owner of
the dogs was a gentleman of independent fortune, and had taken up the
instruction of his dogs merely as a curious and amusing investigation as
to the cultivated intelligence of animals.
Plutarch relates that, at the Theatre of Marcellus, a dog was exhibited
before the Emperor Vespasian so well taught, as to perform the figures
and steps of every (then) known kind of dance. He afterwards feigned
illness in a most singular manner, so as to strike the spectators with
astonishment. He first exhibited various symptoms of pain, then fell
down as if dead, afterwards seemed to revive, gradually, as if waking
from a profound sleep and then frisked and sported about, giving
meanwhile various demonstrations of joy and delight.
It is surprising the antipathy which sometimes exists between inmates of
the same kennels, I have had several instances of it in the course of a
long experience with most breeds. I remember some years ago I had a Skye
Terrier bitch, called "Wasp," and a Pepper Dandie bitch, known as
"Hornet," which we generally characterised as "The Insects," and very
stinging insects they were, if they happened to meet. One day when I was
driving in the dog cart to the railway station, at that time about a
six-mile drive to the nearest town to where I was living, and as we were
going along, I thought I heard a humming sound, and said to my kennelman
who was with me, "Jump down, Hale, I believe those Insects are at it!"
and I was right. They had eaten through the sides of their baskets, and
got at each other, through the holes, and were fairly enjoying
themselves on the journey. We managed to keep them apart the rest of the
way to the show they were bound for. I cannot recall what the place was,
but I well remember that "Hornet," who although quite a little creature,
was a perfect demon with others of her own race, though sweet tempered,
and most engaging with human beings, broke three chains I bought there,
two of them new ones, in order to get again at "Wasp," before they left
the show to return home. Their portraits appear in one of my pictures
with pony, my children and dogs, and are very like them.