ahistoryofdogs

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ahistoryofdogs

📚 Telling the stories of good dogs throughout history.
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24/07/2023

Barbie has owned more than 40 pets, including 21 dogs, 14 horses, three ponies, six cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe, and a zebra.

Her dogs have included Prince the poodle, Beauty the Afghan hound, Taffy the puppy, and Tanner, the pooping Golden Retriever.

03/07/2023

The legs and feet of five teenage girls wearing dog collar anklets on their socks. 1953.⁣
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The dog collar fad noted worked like this: a girl wore a dog collar on her left ankle if she was single, and on her right if she was going steady.⁣
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The trend spread like wildfire in the USA, but the rules often changed: in Akron, the left ankle was for a girl going steady, while in Dallas, teenage girls in deeply committed relationships wore their dog collar on the right ankle.⁣
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Girls everywhere, however, wore the collars over their white socks. On some occasions, boys attached their watch chains to the collar during a slow dance to prevent anyone from cutting in.⁣
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Photo by Roger Higgins.

01/07/2023

Marsha P. Johnson walking a dog on the West Side Piers in New York City. 1982.⁣
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Johnson was an influential community leader in the West Village and known as the "mayor of Christopher Street." She co-founded the radical activist group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.) and was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front. She was an activist, a self-identified drag queen and a performer.⁣
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Marsha was also a dog lover, and was said to enjoy late night walks with her beloved pet.⁣
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Photo #1 by Leonard Fink.

23/06/2023

The Salish Wool Dog is a prehistoric North American dog breed that lived with indigenous peoples in what is now Washington State and British Columbia. They were valued for their thick coats, which were used to make textiles and blankets.⁣
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The dogs were small, long-haired dogs with a thick, white coat, ears that stood up, a curled tail, and a fox-like face. Salish Wool Dogs were kept separate from other dog breeds so they wouldn't mix with hunting dogs and other canines, and so that tribes could maintain their strong coats. They lived in packs of 20 to 30, and were often isolated on the San Juan Islands and around Vancouver Island. They were fed a diet of salmon and elk tallow to keep their coats healthy.⁣
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When their prized white hair was long enough, it was cleaned with white clay to remove dirt, and then sheared, much like sheep are sheared today, using sharp stones or knives made of mussel shells. The hair was then stored with dried clay to extract oil and kill any parasites. The dogs are believed to have produced up to three coats a year.⁣
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The hair was then mixed with local materials, like mountain goat wool, feathers and plant fibers, and spun into yarn.⁣
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Salish Wool dogs were most likely owned by women in high-ranking families and inherited through the female line. They were highly valued in the communities, and were often buried wrapped in a blanket to honor them.⁣
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Unfortunately, the arrival of European colonizers was the beginning of the end for the Salish Wool dog. Their population declined in the 1800s when sheep, machine-spun sheep wool, disease and conflict were brought to the indigenous communities. The Salish Wool dogs began to interbreed with other dogs, and over time, they slowly lost their unique traits. The breed was extinct by the 1900s, and their last known descendant passed away in 1940.⁣

11/06/2023

Tennessee, December 25, 1879.⁣
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"Hawesville, Ky., brags of a man who doesn’t care for dogs at all when he is sober, but, when he’s drunk, has a mania to own all the dogs in the country. He will ask a neighbor to give him his dog. If he won’t give it, the man tries to buy it; if the other won’t sell it the first steals it. He had thus been known to collect 150 dogs in a week’s spree, and feeds them liberally till he gets sober."

08/06/2023

Bronx, NY. 1980s.

06/06/2023

Dog School, California, ca. 1929.

31/05/2023

Shannen Doherty with Borzois, 1993.⁣⁣
Photo by Michel Comte.

27/05/2023

Tina Turner at home with her son Ronnie and Great Dane Onyx, 1972.

25/05/2023

In 1937, Helen Keller, then in her fifties, toured Japan with her companion, Polly Thomson. During her visit, she learned about Hachikō, a famous Akita who had died two years earlier.⁣
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Hachikō was a loyal dog who would greet his owner at the end of each day at the train station in Tokyo. When his owner died of a cerebral hemorrhage while at work in 1925, Hachikō continued to show up at Shibuya Station every day to await his return, until his own death in 1935. He became a national symbol of loyalty and fidelity.⁣
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Keller mentioned that she would like to own an Akita one day, and before she returned home, she was gifted a puppy named Kamikaze-go. Kamikaze was the first Akita to live on American soil, but sadly, he died of distemper at only seven and a half months of age.⁣
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Of Kamikaze, Keller wrote, “If ever there was an angel in fur, it was Kamikaze. I know I shall never feel quite the same tenderness for any other pet. The Akita dog has all the qualities that appeal to me – he is gentle, companionable and trusty.”⁣
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When the Japanese government learned of the loss of Kamikaze, they sent Keller his brother, Kenzan-Go. Keller nicknamed the dog Go-Go, and the two became great friends.⁣
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When others saw photos of Go-Go and read about him through Keller’s writings, they began to inquire about Akitas. Soon after, a breed standard was established in the United States and Akita dog shows began. To this day, Keller is credited with having introduced the breed to the United States.

14/05/2023

On June 19, 1944, W.N. Ely`s American foxhound, Lena, of Ambler, Pa., gave birth to 23 healthy puppies.⁣
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Lena holds the record for the largest litter of puppies to survive. The second photo is of Lena and her 5 month old puppies at the Philadelphia Dog Show.

Happy Mother’s Day! 💐

13/05/2023

Meryl Streep in the 1989 film "She-Devil" starring Streep, Roseanne Barr and Ed Begley Jr.

08/05/2023

In the 1800s, a group of sporting gentlemen met regularly at the Westminster Hotel bar to drink and talk shop. They would discuss hunting and boast about their hunting dogs. The hotel, now long gone, was located at Irving Place and 16th Street in Manhattan. ⁣⁣⁣
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Eventually they formed a club, bought a training area and kennel where they kept their dogs, and hired a trainer. They called their kennel club the Westminster Kennel Club, after their favorite hangout, and decided to hold a dog show. ⁣⁣⁣
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The First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs, held by the hunter's Westminster Kennel Club, took place on May 8, 1877 at Gilmore’s Garden (which would later be known as Madison Square Garden). It was wildly popular, drawing an entry of 1,201 dogs. It was originally scheduled to be held over three days, but was drawn out to last four days instead, with proceeds from the fourth day donated to the ASPCA to create a home for stray and disabled dogs. Prizes for the first few shows included items like pearl-handled pistols. ⁣⁣⁣
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The Westminster dog show is the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the United States, after the Kentucky Derby. It pre-dates the invention of the light bulb, the automobile and the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. It has been held in New York City every single year until 2021 - the last two years took place in Tarrytown, NY and this year’s is in Queens.
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The dog show judges seven groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding. In order to win the coveted title of Best in Show, a dog must take Best in Breed and then proceed to compete in Best in Group, and finally on the grand prize competition of Best in Show.⁣⁣⁣
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The Terrier group has more than twice as many wins as any other group, with the Wire Fox Terrier winning the most Best in Show titles of any single breed, a total of 15 times. ⁣⁣⁣
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A Smooth Fox Terrier named Ch. Warren Remedy won Best in Show three times (1907–1909), and six other dogs have won twice.⁣⁣⁣
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Pictured: Trumpet the Bloodhound, the winner of 2022 Best in Show. 🏆

23/04/2023

This image was published in a Dutch magazine in 1925.

22/04/2023

The Los Angeles Times, March 11, 1940.

21/04/2023

"Watchdog Fritz hurt his back while having a go at the postman, and lost the use of his hind legs. But his master, Mr. Dennis Decunha, of Manchester, could not bear to have him put to sleep. Using roller skate parts, he fixed up a new rear carriage for Fritz. Now, when his pal, 10-year-old Stephanie Light takes him out she puts on her skates- and off they roll together. January 1973."⁣
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Photo by Watford / Getty Images

17/04/2023

Helen Keller at age 7 holding a small dog on her lap. 1887.

13/04/2023

Wilt Chamberlain and his two Great Danes outside of his home in California. ⁠⠀⁣
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In a 1972 interview with the New York Times entitled "Wilt and His Great Danes: The Big Four," Chamberlain said, “I'm a big man and I like big dogs."⁠⠀⁣
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Chamberlain was a long time fan of Great Danes, the easygoing gentle giants that tower over other dogs. ⁠⠀⁣
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“Ten years ago, I decided I wanted one and I began to read the ads,” he said. “I wound up in Westchester and the breeder had just three pups left from a litter — one fawn and two blacks. I'd come up prepared to get a fawn but those two blacks were beautiful. I couldn't stand separating a pair of brothers, so I wound up with two six‐week‐old pups. I named them after the Norse gods—Odin and Thor.”⁠⠀⁣
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Years later, after Odin passed away, Chamberlain decided to get a playmate for Thor, who had been left solo. He came home with more dogs than he expected, choosing two additional litter mates.⁠⠀⁣
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“I knew a great deal more about the breed this time,” he said. “That's why I bought harlequins. I'd been told it's more difficult to breed and raise a good harlequin. That's a challenge. I have two excellent dogs.”⁠⠀⁣
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Wilt took pride in his dog training skills, teaching all of his dogs basic obedience himself. He also kept his dogs intact, refusing to alter them. ⁠⠀⁣
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“I felt it was cruel to crop their ears so mine have the floppy drop ear,” he said. “It may look strange to some people but to me it doesn't detract from the looks. To me, the breed combines beauty, grace and strength. You know, the Dane is called king of the dog world."⁠⠀⁣
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He lived with all of his dogs in an apartment on Central Park West, before moving to California. ⁠⠀⁣
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“Those pups also caused me to be evicted. They kept growing until finally only the three of us could get into the elevator. The neighbors kicked and I was told to either get rid of the dogs or the apartment. Now I have a house and three acres in Bel Air, so I don't have that problem.”

09/04/2023

Happy Easter 🐣
Victorian era, date unknown.

01/04/2023

Cats > Dogs

Pierrot the kitty, circa 1890s.

18/02/2023

A woman and her dog in Harlem, NY. 1943.⁣
Swipe to see a colorized version of the photo. ⁣⁣⁣
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📸 by Gordon Parks.⁣
Colorized version from Reddit.

05/02/2023

German dog trainer Wolfgang Lauenburger recently earned the Guinness World Record for most dogs in a conga line.⁣
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He helped 14 dogs, named Bibi, Cathy, Charly, Elvis, Emma, Filou, Fin, Jennifer, Katie, Maya, Simon, Speck, Susy, and Ulf, impressively arrange themselves into the dance.⁣
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Lauenburger beat out his own daughter, Alexa, who held the previous record of nine dogs.

04/02/2023

Danny Devito walking a dachshund in a dress in Manhattan.

03/01/2023

A collection of photos of people in Nebraska from 1910 until 1926 by photographer John Johnson.

Because he didn't have a studio, Johnson placed his subjects outdoors in front of their homes or in churches and workplaces.

The last photo is of John Johnson and his wife, Odessa, on their wedding day in 1918.

29/12/2022

Pele.

08/12/2022

A man and an Afghan hound.

📸: Charles Chamblis (1975-1985) via the Minnesota Historical Society.

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In the 1983 holiday film A Christmas Story, lead character Ralphie Parker reminisces on one Christmas when he was nine years old. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ A constant source of frustration for The Old Man, Ralphie’s father, are the dogs that belong to their next door neighbors, the Bumpus family. The Bumpuses own “at least 785 smelly hound dogs,” according the Ralphie. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ On Christmas day, Ralphie leaves the back door open after injuring himself with his new Red Ryder rifle. The Bumpus family hounds burst into the home, wreaking havoc and stealing their Christmas turkey. The family, left with nothing to eat for Christmas dinner, end up eating duck at a Chinese restaurant. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I know this is a Christmas scene, but the dogs stealing the turkey always reminds me of Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🥧🍁

JFK Jr. talks about his earliest memory on Larry King Live, September 1995.

Members of the Danish Chamber Orchestra recently performed “Hunting Symphony” by Leopold Mozart. Leopold Mozart, Mozart’s father, was a German composer who was a fan of musical “naturalism” - he was happy to supplement instruments with less common musical sounds in order to convey a story or image. His “Hunting Symphony” featured barking dogs, hunting calls and simulated gunshots. Andreas Veto, the CEO of the Danish Chamber Orchestra, said about the piece, “It’s supposed to reflect the pictures of a hunt going on. Within the first two movements, you will have the signal from the horns showing that the hunt will begin. And then in the third movement, it’s written to bring in the dogs.” In the Spring, they auditioned 10 dogs for the job. They ended up choosing three - Sica the German shepherd, Sophus the cocker spaniel and Cookie, a Spanish water dog. That night, the dogs were brought onstage with their humans before the audience of 750 people in Copenhagen — and on cue, they began to bark along with the instruments. 🎥: AP News

Michael Hingson and Roselle on Larry King Live.

Marlon Brando, being interviewed by Connie Chung, calls his dog Tim the greatest actor ever.

If you ever watched “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker, chances are you heard this sign-off message at the end of each episode: “This is Bob Barker reminding you to help control the pet population — have your pets spayed or neutered.” It was his idea to say this, and he was inspired by his late wife, Dorothy Jo. The legendary host talked about his sign-off message in an interview with The Television Academy Foundation. “Well, Dorothy Jo was before her times as far as animals were concerned,” Barker said during the interview. “… She never really made a point of talking about it, but she became a vegetarian. I had bought her furs and she stopped wearing them. And, the last thing I did, I bought her a full-length leather coat and she never wore it.” “… I became more aware of the terrible exploitation of animals,” Barker said. “I just felt compelled to do what I could to change the situation. And, that’s what I’ve been doing.” When asked how the producers of “The Price is Right” reacted when he started ending the show with his now legendary statement, Barker said, “Well, I kind of sneaked up on them. I did it. And then I started doing it a little oftener and a little more often and a little more often. Pretty soon, I’m doing it every day and nobody said anything.”

Roosevelt is hungry. Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, episode 39. RIP Paul Reubens 🕊️

Credit: CBS / Darren Stocker

Eleanor Powell performing the title number with Buttons the dog in the film “Lady Be Good” (1941). Eleanor, who plays dancer Marilyn Marsh, switches on the record player, and runs through a routine with her pet dog that culminates in cartwheels. MGM auditioned several dogs for the role, but none were able to do the required tricks. Finally, Powell bought a dog from a prop man and worked with trainer Jack Ackerman for several weeks before filming. A review in The Pittsburgh Press described Buttons as: “better than Fred Astaire, nimbler than George Murphy, and can look more woebegone than Buddy Ebsen.”

🏆🏆🏆

What does curb your dog mean??

A working dog is given a proper farewell after completing his tenure as a sniffer dog for The Central Industrial Security Force in India.

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