dogs-lnks

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dogs-lnks – 11/2/03

A set of web links to information on medieval dogs by Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon.

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NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

Thank you,

Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous

Stefan at florilegium.org

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From: Lis <liontamr at ptd.net>

Date: Thu Sep 18, 2003 10:38:27 PM US/Central

To: Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com

Subject: Links: Medieval/Renaissance Dogs

As I write, Legolas is licking my toes, and Samwise is laid out on the bed,

snoring to beat the band. My dogs are happy to be in from the weather as

Hurricane Isabel beats on the door. While I own some very rare mixed breed

dogs, I hope you will enjoy this week's Links list that focuses on pedigree

medieval and renaissance dog breeds of many types. I am sure there will be

something for the dog-lover to find interesting. If you do not see your

favorite breed, please visit some of the sites anyway, as each has quite a

list of links to offer and may lead to your breed's specific information.

As always, please forward this list where it will find an interest, but

remember that not everyone likes multiple copies of huge messages, nor does

everyone find dogs adorable and fascinating (hard as that is to believe :).

So please be judicious in the places you send the list.

Good luck, and hug your dogs for me

Aoife

Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon

Aethelmarc

Greyhound History in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

http://www.gulfcoastgreyhounds.org/hist-mid-ren.html

(Site Excerpt) Greyhounds nearly became extinct during times of famine in

the Middle Ages. They were saved by clergymen who protected them and bred

them for the nobility. From this point on, they came to be considered the

dogs of the aristocracy. In the tenth century, King Howel of Wales made

killing a greyhound punishable by death. King Canute of England established

the Forest Laws in 1014, reserving large areas of the country for hunting by

the nobility. Only such persons could own greyhounds; any "meane person"

(commoner) caught owning a greyhound would be severely punished and the

dog's toes "lawed" (mutilated) to prevent it from hunting. The value of a

Greyhound exceeded that of a serf, and the punishment for causing death of a

Greyhound was equivalent to the punishment for murder.

Lure Coursing Information, Club's, Reading and Links

http://home.fiac.net/marshaw/coursing.htm

(Site Excerpt) Below, you'll find information on Coursing clubs not only

here in the United States, but in other countries as well. Along with places

to obtain coursing equipment, and some stories. None of the links are listed

in order of importance, but I'd like to suggest that you check out the

American Sighthound Field Association site first if your new to the sport..

SCA COURSING HOMEPAGE

http://www.sca-coursing.freeservers.com/

(Site Excerpt) What is hound coursing?

Coursing is an ancient and noble sport that allows one to witness the beauty

of a sight hound doing what it was bred for. In the Middle Ages, a rabbit

was released in a field and the hounds were then released after it.

Eventually rules were established, which in turn led to the modern day dog

track. In the SCA we use an artificial lure (generally a plastic bag)

attached to a string, run through a series of pulleys, and driven by a hand

crank or electric motor.

SCAtoday Houndcoursing Information Available

http://www.sca-coursing.freeservers.com/about.html

(Site Excerpt) Many breeds are eligible for coursing, in some Kingdoms any

breed is eligible as long as it follows the lure. The most popular breed

would be the greyhound and there are many that have been retired from the

track readily available from adoption groups. If you are interested in

getting involved with hound coursing, you will need to get in touch with

your Kingdom's Houndsmaster (some Kingdoms use other titles).

Rules of Renaissance Coursing

http://www.gulfcoastgreyhounds.org/course-rules.html

(Site Excerpt) First therefore it was ordered, that he which was chosen

Fewterer, or letter-loose of the Greyhounds, should receive the Greyhounds

match to run together into his Leash, as soon as he came into the field, and

to follow next to the Hare-finder till he came unto the former and no

horsemen nor Footman, on pain of disgrace, to go before them, or on either

side, but directly behind, the space of forty yards or thereabouts.

Adopt-a-greyhound.org's Grey Hound Historical Image Gallery

http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/gallery/2phoebus3.html

Bloodhounds

Noble Medieval Trackers

http://www.rencentral.com/feb_mar_vol2/bloodhounds.shtml

(Site Excerpt) The era of wild boar and stag in British history marked the

height of the Bloodhounds' popularity. Long before Bloodhounds were used to

track men, they were noblemen's hunting partners. Their job was to find the

boar or deer wherever they hid. Scent hounds, like the bloodhound, have long

flews (loose hanging parts of the upper lip) and long flapping ears

specifically designed to funnel and push air and scents toward the dogs'

olfactory system. The bloodhound has the special ability to follow a cold

scent.

Horses and Dogs in Northeastern Japan

http://www.media-akita.or.jp/akita-komachi/akita-beauties-study3E.html

(Site Excerpt---go to middle of article) Japanese dog breeds are separated

into two categories. One category includes breeds such as the Shiba, Kai and

Kishu, The other category includes breeds such as the Akita and Hokkaido.

The blood type of the latter group is different from that of former group.

The former group is the G-type, which is common with other Asian dog breeds.

The latter group is the A-type, which is generally common with European

breeds.

Hunting in the Upper Class Society

http://www.geocities.com/MedievalWorld/LibraryHunting.html

(Site excerpt) As soon as the lord blew a series of notes on his horn,

several levriers (greyhounds) sprang towards the stag, causing it to bolt.

The hunting party and dogs sprinted after it, until it could be cornered.

Although the deer was wounded by the members of the hunting party, the kill

was usually carried out with lance or bow by the huntsman himself.

As Others See Me: Medieval realms: Britain 1066-1500 Images of King John

with dogs

http://www.bl.uk/services/learning/curriculum/medrealms/t3othersbkgd.html

(Site Excerpt) Image 1:King John and his dog

In the Middle Ages artists did not have our modern idea that a picture of a

person should be an accurate likeness of him or her. Pictures of people are

not therefore portraits but pictures of how they should look. King John

therefore wears a crown even though he seems to be relaxing with his dogs

and not carrying out official business. Like all the nobles of this time,

John was fond of hunting and these dogs may have been hunting dogs. The

picture shows John's affection for the animals - a pleasant side of his

nature. He has often been described elsewhere as one of the most evil kings

England ever had.

Stefan's Florilegium: Dogs

http://www.florilegium.org/files/ANIMALS/dogs-msg.html

(Site Excerpt of messages on the subject) "There is a book on medieval

hunting called 'The Hawk & the

Hound' which has descriptions of (and primary source illustrations) of

both quilted armor and brigandine for canines."

Medieval dogs in the street knew they were for the pot (Caution, this one

could be distressing to real doglovers)

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2000/0403/fro4.htm

(Site excerpt of Irish News Article on famine) The archaeologists point out

that, in a historical context, the consumption of dog flesh in western

Europe was generally related to times of extreme famine and warfare. During

the siege of Derry in 1688-89 the defenders are known to have eaten horses,

dogs, cats, rats and mice.

History of the Mastiff

http://www.av.qnet.com/~norona33/history.htm

(Site Excerpt) In a count of a Mesta in the year 1526 no less than 3.453.168

sheep were involved. Excluding approx. 40.000 shepherds and no less than

18.000 Spanish Mastiff for protection! Not counted in this were the shepherd

dogs who formed the inner circle around the sheep.

An English Springer History

http://www.ariel-ess.com/essfaq/history.html

(Site Excerpt) Dr. John Caius, a respected physician, gives a description of

the spaniel in his Treatise of Englishe Dogs published in 1576. This book

was the first work to attempt to list the British breeds by function.

Poodle History Project

http://www.poodlehistory.org/

(Site Excerpt) A comprehensive history of the Poodle does not exist. Neither

does this exist for the several other varieties of European water spaniel,

although evidence in art history indicates that these were a familiar sight

as early as the High Middle Ages. Prior to ca 1870 our knowledge is sketchy,

excepting certain brilliant examples. Meanwhile, we make do with a series of

fascinating sources, which are presented here as an annotated bibliography

in quasi-essay format, organized by function. We welcome receipt of

additional sources.

History of the Irish Wolfhound

http://www.irishwolfhounds.org/history.htm

(Site excerpt) The name Irish wolfhound is quite a recent one but the hound

itself goes back far into the mists of time. It is mentioned, as cu

(variously translated as hound, Irish hound, war dog, wolf dog, etc.) in

Irish laws, which predate Christianity, and in Irish literature which dates

from the 5th century or, in the case of the Sagas, from the old Irish

period - AD600-900. Only kings and the nobility were allowed to own the

great Irish hound, the numbers permitted depending on position. For example,

the Filid (the professional class of composers of sagas and other tales, who

were of the lesser nobility) were entitled to two hounds. There were plenty

of kings and nobles, as ancient Ireland was divided into fifths, each with a

king, and each fifth comprised numerous kingdoms (there were 150 kingdoms in

Ireland) each of which had a lesser king subject to the kings of the fifths.

WorkingDogWeb©

Breeds, Breeders, History

http://www.workingdogweb.com/wdbreeds.htm

Dog Breed Origins and Evolution

http://www.nmbe.ch/deutsch/531_6_2.html

Molosserworld's Origins of the Molosser breed

http://www.moloss.com/001/ori/origin.html

PHARAOH HOUND,

THE COMPANION OF KINGS

http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/kaydurr/

(Site excerpt) The Pharaoh Hound is the oldest domesticated dog in recorded

history. Two hounds aredepicted hunting Gazelle on a circular disc which is

thought to have been part of a game. The date, around 4000 B.C.,

was certainly before the first dynasty. The origin of this hound in

prehistoric times has been the subject of research by many Egyptologists.

They conclude that if this race of dogs could have resulted from a mixture

of many kinds of wild canidae, it is quite natural that from time to time,

one of these elegant individuals would crop up with the elegant silhouette

of Canis Doerdelini, the beautiful limbs of the Canis Lupaster, & the long

nose, erect ears & gentle nature of the Pariah or Wandering Dog of Egypt.

Borzois.com A brief Borzoi Time Line

http://www.borzois.com/zoi_info/borzoitimeline.html

(Site Excerpt) Background : The presence of large hunts in Russia was an

activity of the nobility made possible by the long time existance of a

feudal society. The nobility had control of a large class of serfs in an

oppressive "master-slave relationship". The Russian feudal period lasted

much later than did similar feudal governments in the balance of Europe.

(General outline from Chadwick p 3)

1260 Reference to hare coursing dogs at court of Grand Duke of Novgorad

(Groshans p 9)

1516 Austrian Nobleman brings a Borzoi with him returning from failed

diplomatic mission to Moscow) (Groshans p 10)

Earth Dogs: Terrier History

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/activities/earthdogs.html#history

(Site Excerpt) Time obscures their history. And with good reason. It was not

shouted from the treetops of Sherwood Forest; the poaching the terriers did

was enough to have their masters jailed or hung. The terrier was always the

dog of the common man, sharing his masters anonymity, helping to hunt his

food and protect his domain from predators and vermin. The first written

mention of terriers occurs in the Natural History by Pliny the Elder, during

the first century. When the Romans invaded Britain in 55 B.C., he records,

"they found much to their surprise, small dogs that would follow their

quarry to the ground." The Romans called these "workers in the earth",

terrarii from the Latin for earth, terra. Terriers are indigenous to the

British Isles. The earliest terriers were short-legged and most resemble the

descriptions of the ancient "prick-eared curs". The Old Scotch Terrier, now

extinct, is said to be the ancestor of all modern day short-legged terriers.

Harrier History

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/activities/earthdogs.html#history

(Site Excerpt) Harriers have a long history in England with detailed records

of individual packs existing from 1260 to the present. In March of 1891, the

Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles was formed and published a

Stud Book. Harriers were at that time much more popular than Beagles. The

1891 - 1900 volumes list 107 registered packs of Harriers. They also began

to run the Peterborough Harrier and Beagle Show in 1892

Elkhound History

http://www.elkhound.net/Seacrest5.htm

(Site Excerpt) The Norwegian Elkhound is a double coated, close coupled,

balanced, hardy gray hunting dog of moderate size, whose history goes back

over 5000 years to a time when dogs which closely resembled the modern

Norwegian Elkhound were canines whose hunting prowess was highly valued. The

Norwegian Elkhound evolved over a period of time into a type of dog which,

through a combination of physical and mental endowment, was able to perform

as an efficient hunter in the rugged environment of the Scandinavian

peninsula. The progenitors of the Norwegian Elkhound that we know today were

spitz type dogs, with prick ears, curled tail, thick double coat, bold

disposition, strong agile body and wolf-like independence. It was found by

mankind that this type of dog, which it is believed to have originated in

the area of Denmark, and was known as the Torvemosehunden or Swamp Dog was

the best hunter and they became the forerunners of the Northern breeds,

which included the Norwegian Elkhound.