Dogs have a cherished role as close companions, and their
sometimes startling abilities have been a never-ending source of
fascination for their observers and friends through the ages. In
Amazing Dogs, Jan Bondeson uncovers the stories of some of the most
extraordinary dogs in history. In the 1750s, the Learned English
Dog, a Border collie with the ability to spell and perform
mathematical calculations, was a sensation in London and thought by
some to be a reincarnation of Pythagoras. The acting Newfoundland
dog Carlo, who performed in London from 1803 until 1811, had plays
specially written for him; their plots called on him to tackle
villains, liberate prisoners, and dive into artificial lakes
onstage to save drowning children. Don the Speaking Dog toured the
world barking out words like "Hungry Give me cakes " and had
particular success in New York.
Some of the amazing dogs whose stories Bondeson chronicles
belonged to the canine proletariat: turnspit dogs ceaselessly ran
inside wheels to turn the roast meat, and terriers showed off their
native abilities in rat-pits, with bets laid on the number of rats
killed. The champion terrier Billy killed 100 rats in five and a
half minutes in 1823, a record that stood until 1863, when it was
broken by Jacko, another champion rat-killer. Before the days of
UNICEF trick-or-treaters, dogs once collected for charity in
London's railway stations, with boxes attached to their backs. Lord
Byron's rowdy Newfoundland dog Boatswain belonged to the opposite
end of the canine social spectrum, as did the superrich dogs that
inherited money from their wealthy and eccentric owners.
Amazing Dogs, illustrated with more than 130 contemporary
images, including thirty in color, suitably ends with a chapter on
dog cemeteries and canine ghosts. A literary and visual treat for
both dog lovers and those fascinated by the history of the strange
and the uncanny, this book reaffirms the special bond between
humans and dogs.
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