Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-03-30
HOW DOGS WERE NAMED.
Oddities in the Nomenclature OF Various
Breeds of CANNES.

Breeds of CANNES.
Dog nomenclature is quite an inter-
esting subject, says writer in tho
Detroit Free Press. Take, for in
stance, that favorite canine known as
the terrier, a name given to the
breed from his habit Of following
game into burrows in the earth,
which latter in Latin is termed terra.
BY way of quick gradations the word
was metamorphosed into terrier. A
skye terrier is so called because the
breed was once chiefly raised on the
island of Skye, one of the Hebrides.
The celebrated Dandy Dinmont ter
rier obtained It's distinctive title from
the fact of its being depicted rs the
favorite of character bearing that
namo in Sir Walter SCOTS "Guy
Mannering." The fox terrier was so
named because it was originally kept
as an addition to every pack of fox
hounds. b OOdhounds derive their
name from the possession of peculiar
power of seeming the blood of n
wounded animal. In olden mes stag
hunting was favorite amusement Of
the nobility, 81! the dogs used i'll
such spOrt-part greyhounds and part
observation-disclosures given the name
of staghounds. FOXhounds, in like
manner, were trained to hunt the
willy animal. Various explanations
have been given of the origin of the
term greyhound, some authorities
claiming that the prefix grey is taken
from EIatus, meaning Greek: others
thai i signifies great, while still
others say that it has reference to
the color Of the animal In no other
breed of hounds is the blue or grey
color so prevalent, and consequently
the last mentioned seems the most
plausible. Harriors are chiefly used
in hunting hares in England, while
the title beagle, applied to a breed
which is an inveterate enemy of rab-
bits, is probably derived from the
Celtic beag, or bite, or the Welsh
back, signifyipg little, they being in
reality small species of hound.
A pointer is so called because OF its
habit of stopping and pointing at
game with its nose, whi;o the setter
gets its name from like habit, cX-
ccpting that it crOuChos instead Of
standing whom pointing under similar
circum tances. Newfoundland dogs
were originally natives of that coun-
try and Labrador, from which cir
cumstance they received their title.
In the same manner the noble st,
Berrards are so called from the fam
Gus monastery Of that namc in the
Alps. That rather dangerous breed
called Spitz or Pomeranian dogs.
variety Of the Esquimau, were first
bred in POmerania. Russia, but
the popular name of Spitz was prob
ably derived from the erroneous
notion that they originated in Spitz-
bergen. Spanicls, of which there arc
many breeds, arc supposed to have
first come from Spain, from which
circumstance is derived their distinc-
tive names. Charles |. was an ardent
admirer Of a small variety of this ami
NAL, and from that arose the designa-
ton of his pets known the world over
as the King Charles.
Mastitf is the term applied to II
very large and powerful species of
the canine family, and there is con-
siderable conflict of opinion regard
ing the origin of the word. Some
claim that it is deri~ed from the
Italian mastinO, or the French mas
tin both of which signify large
! limbed. Others, again, say its true
origin is the old German masten, to
| fattcn. because the mastiff is a large
| dog and so seems better fed than any
! other. Poodle is derived from the
/ German pudel, puddle or pool They
! are without doubt the most intel.
| ligent Of all CANNES. The shepherd
dOg-callod the collie in Scotland,
from the Gaelic cuilean, or puppy
| gains its title from the fact of it,
! being used to watch sheep and pro
| teCt them from maraudorS of every
! description. As to the derivation o
! the word bull dog it is only necessary
to state that at one time this species
was exclusively used in bull-baiting
and from that circumstance arose th'
name by which it is UNIVERSAL,
know. A cross between this and tn,
| terrier is appropriately termed thu
bull terrier.