The book of dogs; an intimate study of mankind's best friend (1919) (20402938891)

Title: The book of dogs; an intimate study of mankind's best friend
Identifier: bookofdogsintima00nati (find matches)
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: National Geographic Society (U. S. ); Fuertes, Louis Agassiz, 1874-1927; Baynes, Ernest Harold, 1868-1925
Subjects: Dogs
Publisher: Washington, D. C. , The National geographic society
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries



Text Appearing Before Image:
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
Text Appearing After Image:
British ollicial photograph, by A'.'iociatr.l IlUi^li ation Ap A CANINE COURIER OE THE GREAT WAR . Ltd. This dog as a dispatch-bearer is three and a third times as efficient as a man. for in three minutes it will deliver to local headquarters the message being written by the officer, whereas a human courier would require ten minutes to make the trip. Only' one man is allowed to feed this dog—its keeper at headquarters. Soldiers are not allowed to pet the animal, as its affection for its keeper must be undivided. means of a stone, skilfnlly hurleil. dogs could be killed before they were near enough to bite. And here began the art of throwing missiles at an enemy, which has culminated in the invention of great guns which hurl projectiles for 6o miles. Under such convincing tutelage, no doubt the dogs gradually came to have a great and healthy respect fnr man. the one mysterious creature who could fi.ght them with something more formidable than his teeth and claws, and while they were still at a distance, where they could not use their own. Perhaps there came to be a mutual respect. Both of these powerful races were largely carnivorous and hunted for a living. Sometimes when the man was hunting, probably the dogs would follow at a re- spectful distance, and when he had made his kill with a club or a stone, or later with a sjiear. they would clean ti)i the parts of the carcass which he difl not carry off. Sometimes perhaps the dogs would run down and bring to bav some dangerous quarry which would have been too fleet for the man, and while they were circling about trying to avoid the death which was sure to come to some of them before the rest could break their fast, the man would come up and with his crude weapons kill their enemy, take what he needed for his own use. and yet leave them an ample feast. And because they were useful to one another in this way, we can easily imagine that the man and the dog would gradually form a sort of partnership in the chase. Again, when man lived in caves he was doubtless an untidy, not to say filthv, creature, who after feeding would toss