Page 43 - Dog

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE
A horse, rider, and hunting dogs chase a stag
along this French watch chain, beautifully
crafted in silver and gold in 1845.

BENIN PIECE RUNNING WITH THE PACK
The Benin bronzes from This late 19th-century painting, by British
Nigeria are famous artist Alfred Duke, shows a pack of hunting
throughout the world for beagles picking up the scent and creating a
their great artistic value. noisy clamor. These bold, strong, intelligent
This bronze plaque, made dogs may have an ancient origin. The
by a Nigerian artist in the Norman French used them for pursuing
late 16th century, is of a hares – they were so small that they were
Portuguese soldier with
GAMEKEEPER AND HIS DOGS carried in saddlebags or the pockets of
Many traditions connected with hunting and his gun and hunting dog. mounted hunters.
shooting remain unchanged since medieval
times. The gamekeeper’s job of protecting
game from predators and SWIMMING DOG
poachers is still the same as This golden retriever has been told to fetch a stick out of the water, but it
it was when the laws of would collect a dead animal killed in a hunt just as quickly. Most dogs enjoy a
venery were first swim, but retrievers are specially bred to bring back birds and other animals
enacted in the that have been shot and have fallen into the water. These dogs are
11th century. trained to respond quickly to
commands. They have a “soft” mouth,
which means they can carry a dead
bird in their mouths without biting
into it. Their fur has a very thick, water-
resistant undercoat.

DIANA THE HUNTRESS
This enamel painting on a metal
plaque from Limoges shows what
hunting hounds looked like in
France in the mid-16th century.
The picture is of Diana, the Roman
goddess of the hunt. There are many
legends about Diana, who shunned
the society of men and was attended
always by a large number of nymphs.
In classical art she was often shown in a
chariot drawn by two white stags.

All dogs swim by paddling
with their front legs, just
as children do when they
are learning to swim by
“dog-paddling”

(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.