A delightful book recently found its way to my pile of unread books: “The History of the World in Fifty Dogs” by Mackenzi Lee. Putting down my unfinished Louise Penney new book, I opened it and was transported to a fascinating history of man’s or woman’s best friend starting in 3100 B.C.E. through 2013 with the first mutt to climb to Mount Everest’s base camp. I certainly can’t go into many of these short stories, but I have selected a few to share.
“First Recorded Dog With a Name”: Abuwtiyuw was a companion to a king of the newly united Egypt, previously divided into the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom over 30 centuries. This king thought so highly of his dog that he had a special tomb erected for him and Abuwtiyuw’s toys, bowls and other items buried with him so he could join up with his master in the next life. His name was placed inside the tomb. The precise year is not known, but around 3100 B.C.E.
On to India in the third century B.C.E. – “All Dogs Go to Heaven”: A victorious king and his five brothers were on their way to their final resting place, but along the way, all five brothers and their wives died. King Yudhisthira reached the summit of the mountain, and Indra welcomed him into heaven. The king refused to enter unless his dog was with him. Turns out the dog was a disguised deity, and Indra replied something akin to “Did you seriously think dogs couldn’t get into heaven? They are the goodest, purest, best bois (sic).” This story is from the epic poem of 1.3 million words that helped develop Hinduism.
Issac Newton in the late 1600s to early 1700s and his Pomeranian named Diamond: Newton had worked out the theory of gravity and was in the midst of writing it all down in Principia when it was nearly lost to history because of his Pomeranian. Newton got up from his table to answer a knock at the door and Diamond ran around in excited circles, knocking over the table. The burning candle was tipped onto the manuscript and nearly 20 years of discovery went up in flames. Newton was aghast at what Diamond had done and lapsed into a deep depression that took months to recover from. He stayed in bed with Diamond beside him (a true dog lover!) and then replicated his thoughts on gravity and published it. Note: Pomeranians were much bigger back then, weighing in at 30 pounds. They are descended from arctic sled dogs such as Alaskan malamutes, spitz dogs and Norwegian elkhounds. Queen Victoria had 35 smaller Poms in her kennels and dearly loved them.
“St. Bernards to the Rescue” – 1600s Switzerland: Great St. Bernard Pass is a 29-mile-long pass connecting Italy to Switzerland. In 1050 A.D., a monk named St. Bernard de Menthon erected a monastery and hospice for travelers to rest up for the usually snowy pass. Originally called Alpenmastiffs, the dogs were initially used as watchdogs. They often accompanied travelers and helped clear the path with their big furry paws. Eventually they were used to sniff out folks trapped in the snow. In the early 1800s, the most famous rescuer dog was Barry, who looked more like a Labrador with short reddish and white fur. He was credited with saving the lives of over 40 people. Obviously the modern St. Bernard has changed in appearance and has increased in weight.
I haven’t even gotten to the famous dogs of the modern era. Perhaps in another article I shall venture into some of those famous canines.
Judy Lore is a volunteer columnist for Ark-Valley Humane Society.
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