The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-10
JUST ABOUT DOGS.

Grand Forks Times: The opening
of the bench show in this city today
gives an opportunity for the fanciers
of mans most devoted four-footed
! friends to inspect the many beauties
that are on exhibition. A brief study
of the species and possibly some of
| the reasons why the dog holds such a
place in the affections of man may be
interesting.
Just where the domestic species
originated is lost in mystery. The gen.
orally accepted popular idea is that
the dog is an evolution of the wolf
and that the domestication is of COM
paratively recent date. This is prob
ably an error, as there are evidences
of the domestication of different species
before historic times. In fact, the fos-
sil remains of large dog are found i'll
the later tertiary deposits. Remains OF
dog are also found in the kitchen
middens of Denmark of the
neollthic age and in similar
| deposits in Switzerland. In both coun-
tries the earliest known dog of the
bronze age was followed by larger
breed of the iron age, thus indicating
| that the prehistoric man who immi-
grated to these regions brought his
| dogs with him. But with all the light
science can reveal, there are certain
essential simiIarities which indicate
that if the dog is not an evolution of
| the wolf, the common origin of the
two is the same.
| In historic times the first record Of
the dog is found in the figures Of these
animals on Egyptian monuments from
| 5000 to 5000 years old. These show
four or Ave disti--ct varieties, which
| include the greyhound, watch dog and
turnspit. The ancient Egyptians wor-
SHIPPED the dog under the title Of Anu
1 bia, and this was the genius of the
/ Nile. The appearance of Sirius. the
4 dog star, corresponded to the annual
rise of that river. The value set upon
the dog by the Egyptians seems to
have been shared by the ancient Greeks
and Romans, and these people pos
sessed many breeds loosely allied to
| still existing forms. The term dogs of
4 war comes from legend that Corinth
was once saved by fifty dogs which
attacked the enemy and fought till all
/ We're slain but one. and it's barking
! aroused the sleeping garrison.
CuVter once said that the domesti-
cation of the dog was "the completest.
| the most singular and the most useful
conquest of man." But Cuvier lived
| before many of the marvels of the
present day had been accomplished.
! Nevertheless, the remarkable fact is
| that the dog shares more of the human
| passions than any other domesticated
| animal 1t is subject to anger, jealousy.
envy love, hatred and grief; it shows
gratitude, pride, generosity and fear.
1t sympathizes with man in distress.
Like him, 1t evidently remembers by
the association of ideas. 1t has imagi-
| nation, for it often dreams and pur-
sues imaginary game in it's sleep. It's
| Judgment is singularly correct. It
shares with man the fear of the I'M
known. 1t has almost a religion in
which its god is man and his will be-
comes It's rule of conduct, disobedience
to which produces an evident feeling
of shame and a quiet submission to
| punishment.
With the possession of these faeul
| ties, the dog is fitted above all other
animals to be companion as well as
the humble servant of man. There is
therefore, more reason that at first
blush appears in the interest SO uni
versally taken in such shows as that
which opened in this city today.