Dogs, Loved Ones They REALLY Left Behind,

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
Not ' just ' another dog thread, swear.

Besides, who can have too many? I'm increasingly fascinated by the number of Daguerreotypes and Ambryotypes from the era pointedly focused on an owner's good, dear friend- not just their old dawg. It does not seem to be a matter of some elderly wealthy females with far too much money and a fondness for cats- you know what I mean. The over-indulged pet syndrome. Seems to me instead the silver-golden thread through centuries, mute testimony to mute enslavement of the only kind allowable. Our hearts.

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When did this begin? How long ago did brown, shaggy-edged eyes win a first scrap and end up owning their first human? , " ......dogs have left their pawprints all over the archaeological record, sometimes literally, for thousands of years " and " a fourth-century grave was found containing the skeleton of a dog with a large beef bone near his head " and " Peru (A.D. 900-1400 ), 80 dogs interspersed with the burials of owners, some were wrapped in finely woven llama-wool blankets, and many had llama and fish bones next to their noses. " and " ......the dog ( dog's grave ) is that, despite a host of physical problems including tooth loss that likely required it to eat soft foods, osteoarthritis, a dislocated hip, and spinal deformation that would have limited mobility, the dog survived into its mid-to-late teens. It was clearly well cared for, and even death could not separate it from his owner " Link below. Point being, it's been awhile.

And they've been around as pets for quite awhile. Romans developed the ' toy ' breeds for plain, old companionship- blowing to heck the ' useful ' theory. We just love a good dog in the house.

" One of the most charming signs of dog life at Roman villas, farms, and military camps across Britain are the pawprints left in drying building tiles. There are dozens of these tiles from Silchester, and hundreds from Roman Britain—perhaps as many as one percent of all the tiles produced there according to Fulford—proof that it is not just modern dogs who stick their paws where they may not belong. "

If you're a dog lover, not sure I'd read the entire article? It's is archeology so pulls no punches. Fair warning. It's a good article. Not sure I read much indicating our relationship with them has changed hugely since since Roman times- or really, since Time began for all of us together. Only difference would have been when someone, doubtless a dog owner invented the camera in order to record the whole thing.

" Their role as magical creatures was probably very important in the early days of the dog-human relationship." Probably the best, most important statement in the entire article. As archeologists, may not have the same idea in mind I do- but am shamelessly misinterpreting it anyway. Because it is correct.

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Not era, I know.

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Also post era

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Not era, but some are just too, too wonderful!

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Ebay and Pinterest


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Here's a nice one... although reminiscent of some recent soldier image "dead or alive?" discussions, do you think the dog is just sleeping or is he dead?
16128BoysBestFriend-490x645.jpg

The dog could just be resting on his beloved boy's lap with eyes closed... he still has his leash/rope on, and his legs don't look unnaturally stiff, etc. But on the other hand, you would think the dog would be alert and watching this stranger-photographer, maybe sitting up instead of propped on a couple of chairs, etc....

So what do you folks think?
 
Another " Sallie " mascot, not from the 11th Pennsylvania! @LoyaltyOfDogs , did you know of this Sally of the 10th Massachusetts?

Do not ask me why the writer uses a bizarre name when speaking of this dog- I edited, it's a word indicating a female is not exactly well behaved, no not the word for female dog, so why the blazes a dog is burdened with it......... ????

June 2, 1864
sally 10th Mass.JPG
 
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Nice pictures! I'm a dog person, I can't resist patting or stroking one even one I don't know. My wife has very often said to me, " You'll pay for that one day."
You and me both. Tom says I have no fear of animals. This isn't quite true ~ I do try to read their body language. I always let them make the decision to come to me. And most usually do.

The ones that don't break my heart. I think, "But. But. I'm a good person. You will love me, I swear!" :rolleyes: :laugh:

Whenever we see a stray dog, I'm the official Dog Grabber. Tom's my back up in case the dog decides to try taking a chunk out of me. We've been lucky so far. There was only one dog who wouldn't come near me, and I sure wasn't going to corner him. That would have definitely earned me a nip.
 
Another " Sallie " mascot, not from the 11th Pennsylvania! @LoyaltyOfDogs , did you know of this Sally of the 10th Massachusetts?

Do not ask me why the writer uses a bizarre name when speaking of this dog- I edited, it's a word indicating a female is not exactly well behaved, no not the word for female dog, so why the blazes a dog is burdened with it......... ????

June 2, 1864
View attachment 98859

Thanks for this, JPK. I had run across the article (and also wondered about the rude word) but have never found anything more about the 10th Massachusetts' dog. It's interesting that this dog, like the 11th Pennsylvania's Sallie, was known for her dislike of Confederates. I've wondered if Pennsylvania Sallie's attitude toward Confederates was based solely on context, seeing them fighting her soldiers, or if she could somehow distinguish between Union and Confederate soldiers in some other way. I'm told that dogs don't see color as we do, so the difference in uniforms would be meaningless to a dog. I'm tempted to think it was context, because it's unlikely she would encounter Confederates except on the battlefield, where she would know to be wary of them. But if she also encountered prisoners of war or wounded Confederates and reacted scornfully toward them, maybe she had some other way of identifying them. Would a dog possibly distinguish different scents based on their clothing? I'm thinking particularly of woolen undergarments worn by Union soldiers and cotton worn by Confederates.
 
Here's a nice one... although reminiscent of some recent soldier image "dead or alive?" discussions, do you think the dog is just sleeping or is he dead?
View attachment 98793
The dog could just be resting on his beloved boy's lap with eyes closed... he still has his leash/rope on, and his legs don't look unnaturally stiff, etc. But on the other hand, you would think the dog would be alert and watching this stranger-photographer, maybe sitting up instead of propped on a couple of chairs, etc....

So what do you folks think?

Good question, Private Watkins. I think there's a good chance he's sleeping. He was probably supposed to sit in the other chair but gave up waiting and decided to lie down. Some dogs in these photos do seem to take a keen interest in what the photographers are doing, but I've seen a few others who don't. Here are some dogs who evidently thought it was a good time for a rest.

A few sleeping Civil War dogs.jpg

And this last fellow seems especially unimpressed by the photographer.

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Good question, Private Watkins. I think there's a good chance he's sleeping. He was probably supposed to sit in the other chair but gave up waiting and decided to lie down.

That would be my vote too... sleeping. The boy, while serious, does not look overly distraught as might be expected if his best pal had gone to the happy hunting grounds...
 
Yes, I took a good look at several- some seemed a little ' post mortem '. Decided not to use those although each could have been bored and sleeping dogs, too. All 3 of mine use sleep as default actions on all occasions- they're hysterical, including just when you'd really like a photograph.

There's a wonderful photo of a family wedding where they included the dogs. It's one of my all-time favorite photos because both have given up on anything interesting happening and gone to sleep.
 
Here's a nice one... although reminiscent of some recent soldier image "dead or alive?" discussions, do you think the dog is just sleeping or is he dead?
View attachment 98793
The dog could just be resting on his beloved boy's lap with eyes closed... he still has his leash/rope on, and his legs don't look unnaturally stiff, etc. But on the other hand, you would think the dog would be alert and watching this stranger-photographer, maybe sitting up instead of propped on a couple of chairs, etc....

So what do you folks think?

Hard to tell. The boy is using his fingers to keep and the dogs leg on his lap. The dogs tongue looks to be hanging
out and his body limp. There are alot of variables but rigor mortis can start as early as 2 hours after death and last for 72 hours. If the dog is dead I doubt they would have taken the picture with in 2-6 hours before rigor set in but who knows.
Looking at the dog breeds of the time is interesting.
 
Here's a nice one... although reminiscent of some recent soldier image "dead or alive?" discussions, do you think the dog is just sleeping or is he dead?
View attachment 98793
The dog could just be resting on his beloved boy's lap with eyes closed... he still has his leash/rope on, and his legs don't look unnaturally stiff, etc. But on the other hand, you would think the dog would be alert and watching this stranger-photographer, maybe sitting up instead of propped on a couple of chairs, etc....

So what do you folks think?
It looks to me like the dog's head is blurred by motion.
 
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