Lee Robert E. Lee and his dog

Joined
Aug 25, 2013
Location
Hannover, Germany
In another thread I was joking about Robert E. Lee and his dog, a poodle - which was pure fantasy.
Now I looked around a bit and found out that Robert E. Lee indeed had a dog he liked a lot, but it was a terrier named Spec.

“Spec was a black-and-tan terrier. His mother was rescued by General (then Captain) Lee from a watery grave. While Captain Lee was stationed at Fort Hamilton, near New York City, he was one day crossing the Narrows towards Staten Island. He saw a small animal struggling feebly in the water and at once had his boat pulled alongside. When lifted from the water it proved to be a handsome little dog with cropped cars and a short tail. Evidently it had fallen or been thrown from a passing vessel. Captain Lee took her home where she was welcomed with delight by the children. She was named Dart, the name suggested, perhaps, by her skill in catching rats. Between her and the family cat, the rats which infested the house and stables were killed or driven away.

Spec was born at Fort Hamilton and became a great favorite with Captain Lee as well as with the children. The Captain would not allow his tail or ears to be cropped. Spec accompanied the family everywhere, even to church on Sunday. Inasmuch as the children gave more attention to Spec than to their devotions, it was decided that he had better be left at home; so the next Sunday he was penned in an upstairs room. But Spec found an open window—it was summer time—and after looking out wistfully for a while he decided to try a high jump. Notwithstanding the distance to the ground he landed without injury and joined the family just as they were entering the church. His persistence prevailed—after that he was not excluded from the sacred precincts. When his master returned from Mexico, after an absence of two or three years, Spec was the first to recognize him and was extravagant in his manifestations of delight.

A lady visitor one day remarked: “Everybody and everything—his family, his friends, his horse, and his dog—loves Colonel Lee.”

Spec would willingly have gone with his master to Mexico—or anywhere else. “'Tell him,” said Captain Lee, writing to Custis, “I wish he was here with me. He would have been of great service in telling me when I was coming upon the Mexicans. When I was reconnoitering around Vera Cruz, their dogs frequently told me by barking when I was approaching them too nearly.”

From: http://leearchive.wlu.edu/reference/books/wayland/13.html
 
That's a good story, always heartwarming. The version I read was Lee was riding along the Potomac near his home at Arlington and saw a dog drowning in the river. He hopped in and swam over to it, bringing it to shore. It was pregnant, and he thought that was likely the reason she'd been tossed in the drink. People were not very good to animals in those days! More than once, during the war, Lee pounced heavily on some brutal teamster pounding on his mules or horses. One was particularly mean and Lee yelled at him in, as an aide related, 'a voice like God's' to stop and the man sneered back something along the lines of you're not the boss of me and kept on beating the horse. Lee politely excused himself from the small company and approached the teamster with a few quiet words. Whatever he said made the man turn white, stop his meanness and be gone from the area exceedingly quick!
 
That's a good story, always heartwarming. The version I read was Lee was riding along the Potomac near his home at Arlington and saw a dog drowning in the river. He hopped in and swam over to it, bringing it to shore. It was pregnant, and he thought that was likely the reason she'd been tossed in the drink. People were not very good to animals in those days! More than once, during the war, Lee pounced heavily on some brutal teamster pounding on his mules or horses. One was particularly mean and Lee yelled at him in, as an aide related, 'a voice like God's' to stop and the man sneered back something along the lines of you're not the boss of me and kept on beating the horse. Lee politely excused himself from the small company and approached the teamster with a few quiet words. Whatever he said made the man turn white, stop his meanness and be gone from the area exceedingly quick!
People today haven't changed that much. People still throw dogs and cats out of cars when they don't want to be bothered with them. Makes me want to throw THEM out of a car.
 
It is a wonderful story. We have had some terrible incidents of people mistreating animals. One man has been cited 3 times for starving his horses. I think he should be put in jail and the key thrown away. At least the last time they took the horses away from him. Some made it but several died. It was so terrible. It made me cry. There is something wrong with anyone who mistreats animals.
 
It is a wonderful story. We have had some terrible incidents of people mistreating animals. One man has been cited 3 times for starving his horses. I think he should be put in jail and the key thrown away. At least the last time they took the horses away from him. Some made it but several died. It was so terrible. It made me cry. There is something wrong with anyone who mistreats animals.

We had some cases here where people had hundreds of cats or dozens of dogs in relatively small houses and appartments and these people did that not to mistreat the animals but because they loved them and wanted to prevent them from harm done by others. How are these people to be punished? They meant well but they mistreated the animals anyway. Here in Germany they can be denied to ever have animals again, but that doesn't get the point IMHO.

But of course anyone who has a heart would never stand to see horses, dogs or cats or any other critter mistreated. And Robert E. Lee sure had a big heart for his fellow creatures.
 
In another thread I was joking about Robert E. Lee and his dog, a poodle - which was pure fantasy.
Now I looked around a bit and found out that Robert E. Lee indeed had a dog he liked a lot, but it was a terrier named Spec.

“Spec was a black-and-tan terrier. His mother was rescued by General (then Captain) Lee from a watery grave. While Captain Lee was stationed at Fort Hamilton, near New York City, he was one day crossing the Narrows towards Staten Island. He saw a small animal struggling feebly in the water and at once had his boat pulled alongside. When lifted from the water it proved to be a handsome little dog with cropped cars and a short tail. Evidently it had fallen or been thrown from a passing vessel. Captain Lee took her home where she was welcomed with delight by the children. She was named Dart, the name suggested, perhaps, by her skill in catching rats. Between her and the family cat, the rats which infested the house and stables were killed or driven away.

Spec was born at Fort Hamilton and became a great favorite with Captain Lee as well as with the children. The Captain would not allow his tail or ears to be cropped. Spec accompanied the family everywhere, even to church on Sunday. Inasmuch as the children gave more attention to Spec than to their devotions, it was decided that he had better be left at home; so the next Sunday he was penned in an upstairs room. But Spec found an open window—it was summer time—and after looking out wistfully for a while he decided to try a high jump. Notwithstanding the distance to the ground he landed without injury and joined the family just as they were entering the church. His persistence prevailed—after that he was not excluded from the sacred precincts. When his master returned from Mexico, after an absence of two or three years, Spec was the first to recognize him and was extravagant in his manifestations of delight.

A lady visitor one day remarked: “Everybody and everything—his family, his friends, his horse, and his dog—loves Colonel Lee.”

Spec would willingly have gone with his master to Mexico—or anywhere else. “'Tell him,” said Captain Lee, writing to Custis, “I wish he was here with me. He would have been of great service in telling me when I was coming upon the Mexicans. When I was reconnoitering around Vera Cruz, their dogs frequently told me by barking when I was approaching them too nearly.”

From: http://leearchive.wlu.edu/reference/books/wayland/13.html


Thank you very much. A great Story!
 
We had some cases here where people had hundreds of cats or dozens of dogs in relatively small houses and appartments and these people did that not to mistreat the animals but because they loved them and wanted to prevent them from harm done by others. How are these people to be punished? They meant well but they mistreated the animals anyway. Here in Germany they can be denied to ever have animals again, but that doesn't get the point IMHO.

But of course anyone who has a heart would never stand to see horses, dogs or cats or any other critter mistreated. And Robert E. Lee sure had a big heart for his fellow creatures.
Yes, sometimes people mistreat their animals because they love them TOO much. I had a friend whose little dog had something wrong with its hips that could have been fixed by surgery. She refused to have the surgery because she couldn't bear to to think of the pain it would cause the dog, so the poor little thing wandered around in pain from the hip problem for years.
We as a society tend to forget that our pets are still animals.
 
For some years now there's been a lot of trouble with people starving their horses without intending to do so. No money, no feed. Many are elderly and the kids don't stay on the ranch anymore - can't pay for help. There's some talk of re-opening slaughter houses - long banned in the US - as the only other thing to do is ship the surplus horses to Mexico. If they had money to do that, they'd feed the horses. In fact, just a few weeks ago we bought another horse from such a situation - he was not too lean but not well fed either - the old widow was alone on her ranch and unable to pay to feed her animals. Think he will make a good second horse for disabled. Very mellow, easy-going disposition. Have to work with him a while - see if he has any surprises!

Speaking of animal hoarding, the ADA has been amended - pushed through largely by managers and landlords - so that not just any animal with a doctor's note can be accepted. People were coming in with therapy pythons and things like that, or a doctor certifying they needed all 22 cats, 15 dogs and a hutch of bunnies. Now all you can have is ONE certified dog or....a miniature horse. :O o:
 
For some years now there's been a lot of trouble with people starving their horses without intending to do so. No money, no feed. Many are elderly and the kids don't stay on the ranch anymore - can't pay for help. There's some talk of re-opening slaughter houses - long banned in the US - as the only other thing to do is ship the surplus horses to Mexico. If they had money to do that, they'd feed the horses. In fact, just a few weeks ago we bought another horse from such a situation - he was not too lean but not well fed either - the old widow was alone on her ranch and unable to pay to feed her animals. Think he will make a good second horse for disabled. Very mellow, easy-going disposition. Have to work with him a while - see if he has any surprises!

Speaking of animal hoarding, the ADA has been amended - pushed through largely by managers and landlords - so that not just any animal with a doctor's note can be accepted. People were coming in with therapy pythons and things like that, or a doctor certifying they needed all 22 cats, 15 dogs and a hutch of bunnies. Now all you can have is ONE certified dog or....a miniature horse. :O o:
Miniature horse? I'm sure that the horse would Just LOVE being in an apartment, too! Good Lord have mercy!!!:rolleyes:
 
For some years now there's been a lot of trouble with people starving their horses without intending to do so. No money, no feed. Many are elderly and the kids don't stay on the ranch anymore - can't pay for help. There's some talk of re-opening slaughter houses - long banned in the US - as the only other thing to do is ship the surplus horses to Mexico. If they had money to do that, they'd feed the horses. In fact, just a few weeks ago we bought another horse from such a situation - he was not too lean but not well fed either - the old widow was alone on her ranch and unable to pay to feed her animals. Think he will make a good second horse for disabled. Very mellow, easy-going disposition. Have to work with him a while - see if he has any surprises!

Speaking of animal hoarding, the ADA has been amended - pushed through largely by managers and landlords - so that not just any animal with a doctor's note can be accepted. People were coming in with therapy pythons and things like that, or a doctor certifying they needed all 22 cats, 15 dogs and a hutch of bunnies. Now all you can have is ONE certified dog or....a miniature horse. :O o:

A therapy python? :cold:
Clooney had a pot bellied pig once, IIRC ...
I'm happy that I did not joke on Lee having a pet piglet, it would be hard to find a real story for that ...
 
A therapy python? :cold:
Clooney had a pot bellied pig once, IIRC ...
I'm happy that I did not joke on Lee having a pet piglet, it would be hard to find a real story for that ...

Let me know if you find the piglet story! :laugh: Wouldn't be surprised if there was one. Lee would make a pet out of anything...anything. He had a pet rattler in Texas.
 
WHAT ????? A RATTLER??
:hot::cold::hot::cold:

Any spiders also? Maybe a sweet little furry tarantula?

I wouldn't doubt it! Who would want a rattlesnake for a pet, I don't know... We know about it because he wrote a note to his little daughter, who wanted to mail him a kitten, that perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea since his rattlesnake didn't know a kitten from a frog! :eek:
 
It is a wonderful story. We have had some terrible incidents of people mistreating animals. One man has been cited 3 times for starving his horses. I think he should be put in jail and the key thrown away. At least the last time they took the horses away from him. Some made it but several died. It was so terrible. It made me cry. There is something wrong with anyone who mistreats animals.
I cannot understand that type of brain. Why have them just to starve them. Sell them, give them away, or something. He should be starved for a while to see how it feels.
 
I wouldn't doubt it! Who would want a rattlesnake for a pet, I don't know... We know about it because he wrote a note to his little daughter, who wanted to mail him a kitten, that perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea since his rattlesnake didn't know a kitten from a frog! :eek:
maybe that was just an excuse to save the kitten the trauma of the trip!
 
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