Perhaps of all other animals the dog has been the earliest and most
constant companion of man. His swiftness and strength, but more
especially his highly-developed power of smelling, have made him a
powerful ally against the other animals; and these qualities must have
attracted the attention of man at an early period--particularly in those
times when the chase was, perhaps, the only pursuit of mankind.
No animal is more widely distributed over the earth. He has followed
man everywhere; and wherever human society exists, there this constant
and faithful attendant may be found--devoted to his master, adopting his
manners, distinguishing and defending his property, and remaining
attached to him even after death.
It is a question among naturalists as to what was the parent stock of
the dog. Some allege that he has sprung from the wolf; others that he
is a descendant of the jackal; while not a few believe that there were
true wild dogs, from which the present domesticated race had their
origin. These ideas are mere speculations, and not very reasonable ones
either. It would not be difficult to show, that different kinds of dogs
have sprung from different kinds of animals--that is, animals of the
same great family--from wolves, foxes, jackals, zerdas, and even hyenas.
This can be proved from the fact, that domesticated breeds among savage
tribes, both in Asia and America, are undoubtedly the descendants of
wolves and jackals: such, for instance, as the Esquimaux dog of the
Arctic regions, the Dingo of Australia, the Indian dogs of North
America--of which there are several varieties--and also one or two kinds
existing in Mexico and South America.
Naturalists deny that there are any true dogs living in a wild state.
This is simply an unreasonable assertion. Wild dogs of several species
are to be met with in Asia and America; and if it be asserted that these
originally came from a domesticated stock, the same cannot be said of
the hunting dog of Southern Africa--which is neither more nor less than
a _wild hound_.
Perhaps none of the animals that have submitted to the conquest of man
have branched off into a greater number of varieties than this one.
There are more kinds than either of horses or oxen. We shall not,
therefore, attempt a description of each; but limit ourselves to speak
of those breeds that are the most remarkable--or rather those with which
the reader is supposed to be least familiar. To describe such varieties
as the spaniel, the greyhound, the mastiff, or the terrier, would not
add much to the knowledge which the English reader already possesses.
One of the most remarkable of dogs is the huge mastiff of Tibet. He is
long-haired, and usually of a jet black colour. He is quite a match in
size for either the Newfoundland or San Bernard breeds, and not unlike
one or the other--for it may be remarked, that these in many points
resemble each other.
The Tibet dog, as his name implies, is the property of the Tibetians:
especially the Bhootees--the same people who own that curious species of
cattle, the _Yak_, or grunting ox, and who reside on the northern slopes
of the Himalaya mountains. It may be inferred, therefore, that the
Tibet dog affects a cold climate; and such is in reality the case. He
cannot bear heat; and does not thrive, even in the kingdom of Nepaul.
Attempts to introduce the breed into England have resulted in failure:
the animals brought hither having died shortly after their arrival.
The masters of these dogs--the Bhootees, or Bhoteas, are a singular
race, of a ruddy copper colour, rather short in stature, but of
excellent disposition. Their clothing consists of furs and woollen
cloths, adapted to the cold climate which they inhabit. The men till
the ground, and keep yaks and sheep, and sometimes come down into the
warm plains to trade--penetrating even to Calcutta. The women remain at
home, their only protectors being these great dogs, who watch faithfully
over their villages and encampments, and fly fiercely at any stranger
who may approach them. It is said that they are especially hostile to
people who have a _white_ face; but this disposition is also
characteristic of the dogs belonging to the American Indians--and
perhaps those possessed by all savages with a coloured skin.
The Dingo, or dog of Australia, is an animal domesticated among the
aborigines of that country. He is a dog of wolf-like shape, who does
not bark, but utters only a mournful howling. He is used by the
wretched natives both for the chase and as an article of food; and is a
fierce and voracious creature--not hesitating to launch himself on the
larger kinds of animals. He is especially employed in hunting the
kangaroo; and sometimes terrible combats occur between the dingo and the
larger species of kangaroos--resulting always in the death of the
latter.
The San Bernard dog, supposed to be a cross between the mastiff and
shepherd's dog, is too celebrated to require a description here. His
sagacity in discovering travellers amid the Alpine snows, and guiding
them upon their path, is the quality upon which the fame of this dog has
been founded; but it may be remarked that many of the feats attributed
to him have their origin in the fertile fancies of Parisian writers.
The Esquimaux dog is another celebrated variety. He is an animal with a
fox-like face and thick coat of whitish hair, generally tinged with
yellow. He is to the Esquimaux a most valuable companion: trained to
draw their sledges over the surface of the snow, and enabling them to
make long and rapid journeys--without which these singular people would
be ofttimes in danger of perishing amid the inhospitable regions they
inhabit.
The Indians of North America possess two or three varieties of
domesticated dogs, evidently derived from the wolves of that region.
Indeed, the common Indian dogs, found among the Sioux and other northern
tribes, bear so close a resemblance to the large American wolf, that
they are often taken for this animal, and in consequence shot, or
otherwise killed by mistake. The Indians use them for carrying burdens:
their tents and tent poles being transported by these animals on long
journeys across the prairies. Their flesh is a favourite article of the
savage _cuisine_; but it is too costly to be used as an every-day food;
and is only served up on grand festive occasions. Like the dogs of
Tibet, these Indian wolf dogs have the greatest antipathy to a white
skin; so much so, that even a friend in that guise can rarely obtain
either their confidence or friendship.
A smaller kind than the common one is found among certain tribes, and
appears to have derived its origin from the prairie wolf--the jackal of
America--while the Hare Indians of the Rocky Mountains possess a third
variety; and it is known that still another exists among the tribes of
Russian America. This last is short-haired and smooth-coated: therefore
differing altogether from the Indian dogs of the prairies.
In Mexico, there are two or three native dogs: found there on the
arrival of Europeans. One is the _Alco_--a dog remarkable for a curious
hunch or protuberance upon the back and shoulders, a thick short neck,
and small pointed muzzle. He is thinly covered with long hair, of a
yellowish colour.
Another singular variety is the dog of Chihuahua and this is, perhaps,
the smallest of all canine creatures. Full-grown specimens have been
seen, whose dimensions did not exceed those of the common rat; and a
singular fact, well authenticated, is, that this dog, when transported
from Chihuahua to any other place--even to the city of Mexico itself--
invariably becomes larger, or degenerates, as the Mexicans have it!
There is also in Mexico a hairless dog. It is, no doubt, the same as
that known by the name of Turkish dog; since this variety came
originally from Spanish America.
In South America, there are several species of native dogs, found among
the savages of the Orinoco and Amazon. They are small animals, usually
of a whitish colour: but their owners follow the curious practice of
dyeing them with annatto, indigo, and other brilliant dyes, for the
purpose of rendering them more ornamental!
We can only find space to say that there are many other varieties of
domesticated dogs, almost unknown beyond the countries in which they are
found. Such are the _Quao_ of Rhamgur, the Sumatran dog, the _Poull_ of
New Ireland, the dogs of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego--those of the
South Sea Islands; and the _Waht_ that inhabits some of the ranges of
the Himalayas.
It is reasonable to suppose that there is not a nation upon earth,
hardly a tribe--civilised or savage--that does not possess some variety
of the canine race differing from all the others.