Page 58 - Dog

Working dogs

The earliest domestic dogs (pp. 34–35) were
companions to human hunters in their pursuit of all
sorts of animals from mammoths to small birds.
Over the thousands of years since that time, dogs
have always worked with people. Before Europeans
SUPERIOR SWIMMER reached North America in the 15th century a.d., the
The huge Newfoundland ROYAL CORGI
breed may originate from dog was the only animal that had been domesticated Since medieval times in Wales
Pyrenean mountain rescue by American Indians. The primary work of these there have been short-legged
dogs taken to Newfoundland cattle dogs, called corgis, that are
in eastern Canada by dogs was to draw a travois, or sled, laden with now favorites of British royalty.
Spanish fishermen. possessions when a family moved from place to
place. They were also used to help in the great bison hunts when a
whole herd of bison could be driven to its death. Eskimo dogs and
huskies have been indispensable in polar exploration. In Europe,
where there have been horses and oxen for pulling carts, dogs have
not been as commonly used for this type of work. For the purposes
of dog shows, the breed registry includes herding dogs (pp. 42–43)
and helper dogs (pp. 44–45) in the category of working dogs.

AGILE AUSSIE
The job of the Australian kelpie
is to round up sheep that have
strayed from the main flock – it Color of a
has the odd ability of running husky’s eyes
along sheep’s backs to reach the can be brown
head of the flock. A well-trained or blue – or
dog can do the work of six men, even one
and it is able to travel 40 miles of each
(64 km) in a day. Siberian husky

Dogs lose heat
through their
tongues, which is
why they pant to Thick ruff of fur around
cool down – even neck and stocky shape
in the Arctic keep as much warmth
SWISS BLANKET as possible inside the
The Bernese mountain dog, a husky’s body
typical helper dog (pp. 44–45),
is an example of many breeds of
mastiff-type dogs that have been
used throughout Europe and Asia
since the Roman period for
guarding and protecting travelers
in the mountains. By sleeping
beside the traveler at night, the
dog’s exceptionally thick fur
would keep both human and
animal warm, and by day the
dog would be able to follow
the path with its nose, even
through thick snow.

SPECIAL DELIVERY
In Switzerland and other very mountainous countries,
mastiff-type dogs were the best animals for drawing
milk carts steadily along narrow paths. From the earliest
times (pp. 34–35), the mastiff’s natural aggression made
it an excellent guard dog.

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