HAD a longer relationship with dogs than with any other domesticated animal, but only recently has literature developed that captures the essence of the close friendship we have with this species. The oldest literature concentrates on descriptions of the function and needs of the dog. Fables, in which the dog takes on human character, also exist in many cultures. Dog stories were originally written primarily for children, but in the last 200 years, dog literature has developed for adults, captivating readers with its portrayal of the dog's unique relationship with mankind. Emily Bronte is one of many Victorian novelists to revere the dog, which provided the inspiration for this watercolour that she painted in 1838, entitled Keeper - from life.
Literature abounds with poetry about dogs.
Rudyard Kipling's Almanac of Twelve Sports, one of many publications to portray the dog as a hunting companion, is illustrated by Sir William Nicholson. The first recorded dog literature was written over 2,000 years ago by Marcus Terentius Varro, an officer in the Spanish Army, and a poet and philosopher. In De Re Rustica , Varro describes different types of dog, offering advice on how to examine them for soundness, where to buy them, what to feed them, how to breed them, and how to train them. His book is less well known than that of the Roman Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia , but far more immeditate and practical. This may be the orgin of the senseless custom of amputating dogs'tails.