The Mastiff

If the Pyrencan dog is one of the most beautiful dogs in the world, surely the English mastiff is one of the most famous. It is regarded as probably the oldest of all British dogs, and, as we have seen,

its ancestors were used by the Assyrians for hunting big game.

It is believed that this large, powerful dog was introduced into Britain in the sixth century B. C. by the adventurous Phoenician traders, and was used by the Britons in hunting and in warfare. The Romans found him well established when they invaded the island in 55 B. C., and thereafter mastiffs, because of their great size, strength, and courage, were used to fight in the Roman amphitheaters.

In more recent times the breed has become heavier and less active and has been used chiefly as a companion and a guardian of property.

Perhaps the most famous strain of mastiffs in England is at Lyme Hall, in Cheshire ; it is said to have come down in unbroken descent from the fifteenth century. When I [Mr. Baynes] was a small child my father's place, "Harcwood." was close to Lyme Park, and one of my earliest recollections is of going with my parents to an entertainment at Lyme Hall. Coming away we descended into a flagged court-yard, and I remember that we were at once surrounded by a number of huge, tawny dogs which I was told were the Lyme mastiffs.

Many stories are told of the services rendered by these splendid dogs to their masters, the Lees of Lyme. It is said that when Sir Peers Lee lay wounded on the battlefield of Agincourt, he was guarded by a mastiff which had followed him to the war and which lay beside him through the night. Sir Henry Lee, of the same family, was saved from death by one of the dogs, which pinned to the floor a valet who had come to his master's bedroom to murder him.

The perfect mastiff may be cither fawn with a dark face, ears and muzzle, or brindle. He stands about 28 inches, and should weigh about 170 pounds. There should he no dew-claw, and the small, dark eye should show no haw. Strong, straight and heavy, both of body and limb, with a deep chest and massive square head, the perfect mastiff is an exceedingly splendid-looking animal.

He is now bred mostly as a companion, and never sees service in his old romantic calling. He is probably part ancestor of the great Dane, whose principal other component is greyhound. One of the noblest of dogs, it is to be regretted that his unwieldiness and expensive keep have rendered him rather unpopular, so that now he is indeed rarely seen.

Points to avoid are a light, narrow, or undershot head, cow-hocks, sagging back and rolling gait, weak legs and bent pasterns, curly tail and pale face.

From The Book of Dogs: An Intimate Study of Mankind's Best Friend By National Geographic Society (U.S.), Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ernest Harold Baynes Published 1919. 109 pages Original from Harvard University.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.

This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years.

See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain In the United States,

This inage is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in thi case Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

Tags: Public Domain Clip Art and clip art or public domain and The Mastiff

Pyrenean Sheep Dog (Pyrenean Mountain Dog)

Pyrenean Sheep Dog (Pyrenean Mountain Dog) One of the most beautiful dogs in the world is the Pyrenean sheep-dog, but, alas! the breed is almost extinct. Technically speaking, this animated snowdrift is not a sheep-dog at all, but closely related to the mastiffs.

From The Book of Dogs: An Intimate Study of Mankind's Best Friend By National Geographic Society (U.S.), Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ernest Harold Baynes Published 1919. 109 pages Original from Harvard University.

In form of body and texture of coat he greatly resembles the Tibet mastiff, though the latter is not so tall on the legs and is quite different in color, being velvety black, with rich tan markings.

Had the Pyrenean dog been a herder of sheep like the collie, no doubt his tribe would have been as numerous as ever; but the Spanish, and later the French, shepherds used him chiefly to guard their flocks against the ravages of the wolves and bears.

When wolves and bears became scarce in the Pyrenean Mountains, the need of this valiant defender grew less and the breed was neglected, until now but a few specimens remain.

The Pyrenean sheep-dog is one of the finest dogs that has been used in the manufacture of the present-day St. Bernard. It is quite possible that the old hospice-dog (which died out when roads and railways cut hither and thither through the Alps) was more of this type than is generally supposed.

The Pyrenean dog is one of the large dogs, but by no means so immense as the St. Bernard. A good male dog would probably weigh about loo to 1 10 pounds, as against 250 pounds for the St. Bernard.

He is usually pure white or cream-colored and bears a coat much like that of a Newfoundland, only with more underfur and of a more woolly texture.

He has seldom been brought to this country or even to England. He is preeminently a guardian dog, used to insure safety to the flock from the attack of wolves, smaller and nimbler dogs being used for the purpose of driving and herding.

The type is easier to conceive from the picture than by a written description. Like all dogs bred for utility, and not yet taken up by "the fancy," he is bound by no standard of perfection and is subject to considerable variation. The best dog is the one that does his work best, which is as it should be.

From The Book of Dogs: An Intimate Study of Mankind's Best Friend By National Geographic Society (U.S.), Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ernest Harold Baynes Published 1919. 109 pages Original from Harvard University.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.

This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years.

See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain In the United States,

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in thi case Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Cerie at the Finnish Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: Cerie grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

Tags: Public Domain Clip Art and clip art or public domain and Pyrenean Sheep Dog.

Collie, Smooth Collie, English Sheep Dog

There is little resemblance between the working "collie" of the Scottish sheep-herder and the elaborately furred, slender faced, bench- dog now so popular. The broad-skulled, rather neglected looking "shepherd dog'' of our boyhood, with his friendly, democratic manners (or lack of them)

would get short shrift now at any show or gathering of the elite, while of all dogs his handsome, richly frilled descendant, with all the car-marks of aristocracy, is the cause of more "Ohs" and "Ahs" than any other dog in the show.

Nevertheless, one might see an "ornery-looking," half-moulted type of the countryside handle a drove of 3,000 or more sheep in Saskatchewan in a manner to bring one up standing. And when, on returning at nightfall, he puts every ewe and lamb in one corral and every ram in another, without error or violence, one feels like asking him if he would shake hands with a mere spectator! It is doubtful if any borzoi-headed champion could do that with a lifetime of training.

Still, the collie is a most intelligent and handsome dog, and the present tendency is toward a greatly elongated and consequently narrowed head, forming almost a straight or even slightly deflected line from nose to occiput. The neck, throat, and chest bear a great frill of long hair, and the back of the thighs also is very deeply and richly furred. The hair of the body is long and straight, rather harsh, but with a deep and woolly undercoat. The feet, from hock and wrist down, should be smooth.

In color, the collie may be black and tan, "sable," or rich orange brown, with white frill, collar, and face "harlequin" ; or white, with black spotting and freckling at random ; "blue," or mouse color, and white, or even pure white everywhere. Some few kennels specialize in white collies and advertise extensively; they are very beautiful dogs, though probably requiring more care to keep presentable than the more "practical" colors, as our mothers would call them.

The collie should stand 20 to 24 inches and weigh from 40 to 60 pounds. He requires considerable exercise, and while growing up needs watching to prevent his acquiring a taste for chickens and even lamb. Once this predilection gets established, it is hard if not impossible to eradicate.

In this country we know the collie chiefly as a beautiful, vivacious, and alert companion, but in the great sheep-raising districts of Scotland, northern England, and Wales, he is an absolutely indispensable assistant of the shepherd.

Not that the working collie looks very much like the long-muzzled, much-beruffled, and well-groomed specimens which grace the benches at our dog shows. He would never be allowed inside the ring at Madison Square Garden, and if he were he would stand about as much chance of taking a prize as a blue-ribbon winner would have of defeating him in one of the great annual sheep-dog trials of his native land. He lacks the superficial beauty necessary to win in the show-ring but he has the brains, the courage, and the stamina without which the sheep industry of Great Britain would quickly come to a standstill.

In the land of misty mountains one good dog can do the work of a dozen men, and
there is no other animal which could possibly replace him.

Obeying the voice, or, better still, the whistle, of his master, a good working collie will "run out" to a distant pasture, round up his flock, separating them if necessary from other sheep, and bring them along at just the right speed; head off any which may try to take a wrong direction ; go back and hurry those which lag
behind ; fight off strange dogs if necessary, and finally bring them into the fold without losing
one.

Next morning he will take them away to the pasture and guard them all day, if asked to do so, or help his master to drive them to the market, along the quiet country lanes and the crowded city streets alike, preventing every attempt of his charges to wander or stampede.

The Shetland collie, a tiny sheep - herder weighing between six and ten pounds and imported from the Shetland Islands, is becoming known in the country as an attractive pet.


SMOOTH COLLIE - The smooth collie is to be judged by exactly the same standards in everything, except coat, as the rough, or common, collie.

The artist had never seen one and was somewhat desperate for a model, when to his surprise he found that the Belgian farmer who comes for the neighborhood garbage was accompanied by a fine specimen, brought with him in 1914 from home, whence he fled at the instance of the Hun!

It is somewhat of a surprise to see what a collie looks like in short hair, but it rather increases our regard for him than otherwise. For he is a fine, strong, "doggy" animal, and in this example, at least, the "refinement" which so often results in extremely nervous and high-strung dogs has not been sought.

The present fad for long, slender, roman- nosed and narrow-faced collies seems to introduce an entirely undesirable slenderness of temper as well, quite different from the genial, easy-going dependability of the "old-fashioned" collie, wide between the eyes and ears. It is a distinct loss to the breed.

ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG - Rapidly gaining in popularity, the curious woolly sheep-dog has become thoroughly established in the United States; he has long been used as a practical helper in the great sheep ranges of western Canada. He bears no resemblance whatever to the familiar collie type of sheep-dog, but looks rather like a great long-legged, round-headed, bounding terrier.

He has a formidable voice, very different indeed from the rather fox-like yap of the collie, and while he is some 24 to 27 inches at the shoulder and weighs 60 to 80 pounds one cannot quite get away from the impression that he is, in fact, a huge terrier of some kind. The effect is heightened greatly by the long woolly hair on his head and face, which virtually hides the clever eyes, and makes a study of his actual head-form very difficult. The hair on back and hips is very long; when combed out they look very curious indeed.

In color they are usually blue gray and white; any strong tendency toward brown is not good. The white usually occupies most of the head and fore-quarters.

He is a dog of very striking appearance — one might almost say of un-dog-like appearance. He is large, rather tall on the legs, tailless, and covered from head to foot with a long, loose hair, which tosses about freely when he runs or jumps, giving him the appearance of a huge animated floor-mop. But if you part the hair on his face you will find a pair of beautiful, intelligent, friendly eyes. He is active, good- natured, and makes a fine companion.

Dogs of this breed were not always bob- tailed ; originally they were probably as well provided with tails as other dogs. Many of them were used for herding, and consequently exempt from taxation. It is said that the drovers amputated the tails of their working sheep-dogs to distinguish them from those which were not exempted.

It is believed by some authorities that this mutilation, continued through many generations, created in the breed a tendency to produce tailless and short-tailed offspring. Whatever the cause, it is certain that today many Old English sheep-dog puppies are born bob- tailed. When they are born with tails it is customary to dock them to within an inch or two of the root, and the operation is performed not more than four days after birth.

The docking accentuates the characteristic rounded quarters and increases the somewhat bearlike appearance of the animal.

From The Book of Dogs: An Intimate Study of Mankind's Best Friend By National Geographic Society (U.S.), Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ernest Harold Baynes Published 1919. 109 pages Original from Harvard University.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.

This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years.

See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain In the United States,

This inage is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in thi case Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

Tags: Public Domain Clip Art and clip art or public domain and Collie or Smooth Collie and English Sheep Dog

St. Bernard

The St. Bernard won both his name and his fame in the Swiss Alps, where for many years the monks of the Hospice St. Bernard have used dogs to assist them in saving the lives of travelers lost in the snow. One of these dogs, Barry, saved 40 people and was killed by the 41st, who mistook him for a wolf.

But the dogs used by the monks have changed greatly in appearance from time to time. Occasionaly an avalanche will destroy a large number, and those remaining will be bred to Newfoundlands, Pyrenean sheep dogs, and others having similar characteristics.

Some of the dogs kept at the hospice now resemble powerful foxhounds and would never
be admitted to an American bench show in competition with modern St. Bernards, either
smooth or rough coated.

The old-time working hospice dog had none of the grandeur of this more modern successor to his name, which has been compounded rather recently of several other dogs. Still he is about the most distinct of any of the large dogs, the Newfoundland being the only dog even remotely resembling him.

Like all very large heavy dogs, this breed is greatly given to weakness in the legs, cowhocks and weak hips being rather the rule than the exception. The "dewclaw," or extra hind toe, is also generally present (and was formerly considered desirable).

The perfect St. Bernard is a very large, very strong, straight-backed, strong-legged, and heavily organized dog, the colors, as shown, being those most eagerly sought. They may be either rough or smooth in coat. The best American dogs are those of Mr. Jacob Rupert, of Newark, N. J., and Miss C. B. Trask, of California. Indeed, it is doubtful if their dogs are to be surpassed anywhere.

The benign St. Bernard should show, in both types, broad, domed, massive head, loose skin, deep-set, rather mournful, eye, haw quite pronounced, and deep-folded flews and dewlap, though he should not be too "throaty." What is not mentioned in most brief accounts of this dog is the tremendously impressive voice in which he speaks. Probably no other dog has such a deep bass voice, nor such a volume of it. Yet it is as benign and kindly as his expression of countenance, and would tend rather to inspire hope and confidence than fear, even with the timid.

The deep personal affection with which St. Bernard owners invariably invest their companions is the best expression of the character of these great, dignified and rather somber dogs, which inspire no fear, even in little children, and which return the stranger's gaze with a look of calm, steady, and indulgent tolerance, and endure the advances of the unacquainted with a patience and dignity that speak worlds for their gracious and enduring disposition.

From The Book of Dogs: An Intimate Study of Mankind's Best Friend By National Geographic Society (U.S.), Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ernest Harold Baynes Published 1919. 109 pages Original from Harvard University.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.

This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years.

See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain In the United States,

This inage is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in thi case Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

Tags: Public Domain Clip Art and clip art or public domain and St. Bernard

Chow or Chow Chow

Though there are two types of Chow in China, whence we got it, the smooth type has never been popular here nor in England, and may be ignored in this connection.

The rough or common Chow is a most attractive and distinctive dog of medium size, always "whole" colored red, black, brown, blue, or "smoke," cream or white. The red and "smoke" are the favorites among breeders and owners ; the darker and purer the color the better.

Perhaps no dog has more individuality, nor knows his own mind better than the Chow. He is frisky, playful, intelligent, and willing to obey his master implicitly; the rest of earth's population has no interest for him whatever. Those the artist has known were entirely tolerant of his presence, and even his caresses, in their own home or when their master was with them elsewhere. Off the porch or on the street they will not so much as notice a stranger, except that it is impossible to put a hand on them or elicit a glimmer of recognition. Of all dogs they are the most consistently a "one-man" type.

The Chow has several real peculiarities, among which the most pronounced is the purplish black interior of the mouth, including the tongue. He is a very cobby dog, standing on four exceedingly straight legs. He is straightcr in the stifle than any other dog. The muzzle should be short, the head square and massive, with a sort of scowl or frown that is helped by the widely set eyes.

The fur is very dense and deep, with a separate underfur like that of the Eskimo or other Arctic dogs, from which the Chow is supposedly derived. It also has the wide chops, small eye, and curly tail of his congeners.

The feet are small and catlike and the pointed ears are held upright. The neck all round has very deep fur, forming a sort of mane or ruff. All in all, he is about the most distinct type of dog to be seen. He has plenty of courage, though he is generally prudent and keeps out of trouble. With those he knows he is extremely
patient, being in this respect a fine dog to be among children.

The Chow is a common dog in China, but in this country he is regarded as an aristocrat, which is not unreasonable considering his proud bearing and ancient lineage.

Whether black, red, yellow, blue, or white, he is a dog of striking appearance and reminds one of an animated Chinese carving.

From The Book of Dogs: An Intimate Study of Mankind's Best Friend By National Geographic Society (U.S.), Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Ernest Harold Baynes Published 1919. 109 pages Original from Harvard University.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.

This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years.

See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain In the United States,

This inage is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in thi case Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874 – 1927) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

Tags: Public Domain Clip Art and clip art or public domain and Chow