Posted by Jeanne on May 20, 2009
Here is a dog that fools most people. Just because Bulldogs look ferocious, people think they are ferocious. Usually just the opposite is true. Bulldogs today are among the gentlest dogs you could own.
This was not true hundreds of years ago. In those days, these sturdy dogs were tough and vicious. They had to be. Those who were weak or without courage did not survive.
You might be wondering how the name Bulldog came to he used and why the dog is built the way he is. Both came as a result of a cruel “sport” called bull-baiting, which was popular in the middle ages. It was something like the bull-fighting of today in Spain and Mexico – only instead of a man fighting the bull, a dog did.
In bull-baiting a dog was put in a ring with a ferocious bull for a fight of survival. The dog needed a strong jaw for a good bite. And once he got a good bite, he needed a short nose and a huge chest so that he could breathe while holding tight to the bull with his mouth. Usually if a dog got a good solid bite he would defeat the bull. But, the bull had weapons, too. Many a dog was crushed with a hoof or gored with a horn.
By 1835, when bull-baiting was outlawed in England, this bull-fighting dog had been developed to look like the Bulldog of today. The humane law that stopped bull-baiting almost caused the extinction of the breed. In those days, dogs were rarely kept as pets – if a dog was fed, he had to work. And, since these dogs could no longer be used for bull-baiting, many owners no longer bred their dogs. Fortunately, some noblemen kept their hounds as watchdogs, and the breed was able to survive.
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Here is a dog that fools most people. Just because Bulldogs look ferocious, people think they are ferocious. Usually just the opposite is true. Bulldogs today are among the gentlest dogs you could own.
This was not true hundreds of years ago. In those days, these sturdy dogs were tough and vicious. They had to be. Those who were weak or without courage did not survive.
You might be wondering how the name Bulldog came to he used and why the dog is built the way he is. Both came as a result of a cruel “sport” called bull-baiting, which was popular in the middle ages. It was something like the bull-fighting of today in Spain and Mexico – only instead of a man fighting the bull, a dog did.
In bull-baiting a dog was put in a ring with a ferocious bull for a fight of survival. The dog needed a strong jaw for a good bite. And once he got a good bite, he needed a short nose and a huge chest so that he could breathe while holding tight to the bull with his mouth. Usually if a dog got a good solid bite he would defeat the bull. But, the bull had weapons, too. Many a dog was crushed with a hoof or gored with a horn.
By 1835, when bull-baiting was outlawed in England, this bull-fighting dog had been developed to look like the Bulldog of today. The humane law that stopped bull-baiting almost caused the extinction of the breed. In those days, dogs were rarely kept as pets – if a dog was fed, he had to work. And, since these dogs could no longer be used for bull-baiting, many owners no longer bred their dogs. Fortunately, some noblemen kept their hounds as watchdogs, and the breed was able to survive.
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Posted by Jeanne on January 5, 2009
No one knows when the concept of using assistance animals for the blind first came into being. It is suggested that dogs have been used in such a capacity in various cultures for a very long time. It is known, however, that there was no formal guide dog program in existence until after World War I.
Why German Shepherds?
Many people have probably wondered why guide dogs and Seeing Eye dogs are so often German Shepherds. The reason is actually twofold. First, the German Shepherd has a strong sense of loyalty to its owner, giving it a natural tendency to be protective. Having a very protective dog as a companion is an obvious asset for someone who may otherwise be easily attacked by less than scrupulous individuals. Second, the first guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired were trained in Germany to provided assistance for those blinded in the war.
After the end of World War I, Germany was devastated by financial depression. Many private businesses failed and the Potsdam, Germany school that trained the guide dogs for the blind was one of them.
The Beginning
An American woman named Dorothy Eustis had heard about the program and decided it was a very worthwhile endeavor. Because she owned a company that was training German Shepherds as working dogs, she decided she might try to train guide dogs for the blind. She did not start this right away, however. In fact, she was still considering the possibilities when she wrote a story for The Saturday Evening Post about the potential for guide dogs for the blind.
Morris Frank, a Nashville man named, had heard the story and decided to write to Ms. Eustis to ask her to train a dog for him. She did and Mr. Frank became known as the first blind person to use a guide dog.
As part of an arrangement he had made with Ms. Eustis, Mr. Frank started training guide dogs in the United States. The foundation that Mr. Frank started was dubbed “The Seeing Eye” and the so-called Seeing Eye dog was effectively born.
Today guide dogs are trained to assist people with many different disabilities. There are Hearing Ear dogs to assist the deaf and other dogs that assist the physically disabled. All the people who have benefited from the use of a guide dog, however, owe their thanks to Morris Frank of Nashville, Tennessee.
Related posts
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No one knows when the concept of using assistance animals for the blind first came into being. It is suggested that dogs have been used in such a capacity in various cultures for a very long time. It is known, however, that there was no formal guide dog program in existence until after World War I.
Why German Shepherds?
Many people have probably wondered why guide dogs and Seeing Eye dogs are so often German Shepherds. The reason is actually twofold. First, the German Shepherd has a strong sense of loyalty to its owner, giving it a natural tendency to be protective. Having a very protective dog as a companion is an obvious asset for someone who may otherwise be easily attacked by less than scrupulous individuals. Second, the first guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired were trained in Germany to provided assistance for those blinded in the war.
After the end of World War I, Germany was devastated by financial depression. Many private businesses failed and the Potsdam, Germany school that trained the guide dogs for the blind was one of them.
The Beginning
An American woman named Dorothy Eustis had heard about the program and decided it was a very worthwhile endeavor. Because she owned a company that was training German Shepherds as working dogs, she decided she might try to train guide dogs for the blind. She did not start this right away, however. In fact, she was still considering the possibilities when she wrote a story for The Saturday Evening Post about the potential for guide dogs for the blind.
Morris Frank, a Nashville man named, had heard the story and decided to write to Ms. Eustis to ask her to train a dog for him. She did and Mr. Frank became known as the first blind person to use a guide dog.
As part of an arrangement he had made with Ms. Eustis, Mr. Frank started training guide dogs in the United States. The foundation that Mr. Frank started was dubbed “The Seeing Eye” and the so-called Seeing Eye dog was effectively born.
Today guide dogs are trained to assist people with many different disabilities. There are Hearing Ear dogs to assist the deaf and other dogs that assist the physically disabled. All the people who have benefited from the use of a guide dog, however, owe their thanks to Morris Frank of Nashville, Tennessee.
Related posts
