It is said that in 1606, at the age of 5, Louis of Bourbon, future Louis XIII, King of France, known as the Just, gave a piece of bread to a dog.
A lady of the court, annoyed by the gesture, rebuked the powerful child, saying: “Lord, you don’t give bread to dogs: you give it to the poor.”
And the little one replies: «Why? Are the dogs rich? “
Our relationship with dogs is as ancient and profound as it is controversial. We have been traveling companions since the Mesolithic (12,000 years ago so to speak, day more, day less) and what is mysterious and fascinating at the same time is that the domestication of the dog took place in different parts of the globe. When we say “destiny”: not only did it happen, but several times and without the protagonists being able to talk about it. In short, dogs and humans had to become friends.
But as in all friendships there is no lack of dark moments, dirty looks and a few words too many … from man, of course.
Thus the word dog often took on very negative meanings in the past: it celebrates the affirmation son of a dog, or that Christ’s tomb is in the hands of dogs, wrote Petrarch revealing esteem and affection towards the Turks. Not to mention the feminine where bitch, said to a woman was a decidedly unflattering judgment on her sexual mores.
Even today if you hold the muzzle you are showing an expression of suffering and detachment, and several researches have tried to decipher the strange expression pig dog, perhaps referring to a monstrous hybrid, perhaps only an unfortunate assonance of the word kuνα (etymological origin of the word dog in Greek), with the name of Ζηνα, Zeus (I leave to the readers the unpleasant task of understanding what I mean by replacing the word dog first with Zeus and then with God).
Other expressions remind us of the terrible life of the faithful quadrupeds: just like a dog, life, time, dog’s evening and even cold dog.
However, since ancient times, the fidelity and kindness of the dog was also known, a characteristic that is evident even to the dry eyes of our ancestors who long ago used to say faithful as a dog. And Manzoni, who wrote: remaining celibate, … for never having found a c. that he wanted it, he wanted to emphasize how the descendants of wolves are actually so affectionate that they love anyone.
So over the years the relationship has matured: the skills, affection, usefulness and why not, the magic of the faithful quadrupeds at our side have prevailed. We learned to read their faces, their smiles, to interpret their behavior, trying less and less to compare them to us and in an attempt to “see” their true nature. Thus over the years (let’s say the last fifty) unknown aspects have emerged.
And if we can now all have give a say about the fidelity of a dog, perhaps not everyone knows that (and so I’ll tell you about it):
- The sense of smell of dogs is 10,000 times (10,000!) stronger than humans. Dogs can be trained to detect cancer and other diseases
- On November 21, 1990, Bill Irwin was the first blind person to complete the Appalachian Trial (a foot race across rugged territories, more than 3,400 km long), thanks to the help of the tireless guide dog Orient
- Border Collies, Poodles and Golden Retrievers are considered to be the smartest dogs (no offense to everyone else)
- In the United States, dogs are recognized as a “necessary medical aid”
- Dogs have a possessive disposition and for this reason they can have attacks of jealousy
- The only dog that does not bark is the Basenji
- Dogs are not color blind (as is often said), but they do not have the receptors to see red (so they don’t see red)
- Alaskan malamude can withstand temperatures up to 70 degrees below zero
- An unsterilized female and her descendants can give birth to over 67,000 puppies in six years (that’s why animal lovers are committed to ensuring that strays are neutered)
See you soon for more bizarre news on these unbeatable funny guys.
Dario De Santis
Zampettando Blog Team
