Who Let the Dogs Out?

I apologize for the title, but I couldn't help myself. The eighteenth century, the Age of Enlightenment, not only gave birth to the world's first modern republic but also shaped a more contemporary view of dogs. Scientists generally agree that there is strong evidence indicating that dogs were domesticated around 15,000 years ago. By roughly 14,000 years ago, people started to bury dogs, sometimes alongside humans. The relationship between humans and dogs has developed over thousands of years.

Wolf-Dog Companion

Working Dogs

Dogs are considered the first domesticated animals. Initially, domesticated dogs were used for hunting, but they later evolved into sheepdogs, war dogs, and various types of watchdogs. We all recognize the roles dogs play in guarding sheep and homes, but their contributions go beyond that. Turnspit dogs powered devices by operating a treadmill connected to a roasting spit. Similar setups were used for household chores, such as churning butter. Additionally, dogs were trained to herd cattle and serve as draft animals, pulling small carts or sleds for farms, peddlers, or travelers, delivering mail, and transporting people for leisure or entertainment. In the latter case, dogs were trained for racing and fighting, with bets placed on the outcomes, a practice that gained popularity in the eighteenth century.

Dogs Returned from the Chase in Colonial Times

Man’s Best Friend 

Over centuries of living together, the dog became “man’s best friend.” However, there has still been a negative side to their history. The Roman proverb, cave canem—beware of the dog—points to a darker aspect of this respected creature. William Shakespeare, the playwright and poet, used the words "dog" and "cur" to describe contemptible people. Overall, though, humans have generally felt very positive about dogs. Benjamin Franklin once said, "There are three faithful friends—an old wife, an old dog, and ready money."

Hunting dogs were companions and workers in the 18th century

Dogs of War

Frederick the Great &
His Beloved

War dogs were used in ancient times, trained for combat as well as for roles such as scouts, sentries, and trackers. The earliest recorded use of war dogs in battle, documented in classical sources, occurred when Alyattes of Lydia fought against the Cimmerians around 600 BC. The Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Sarmatians, Baganda, Alans, Slavs, Britons, and Romans all utilized dogs in warfare. During the Middle Ages, nobility gifted breeding stock of war dogs. The Spanish conquistadors brought war dogs to America, using armored dogs specifically trained to attack natives. These dogs were a mixed breed of deerhound and mastiff, recognized by their padded armor and spiked collars. These large, fearsome animals instilled terror in Aztec and Inca warriors (who wouldn’t be?). The conquistadors typically unleashed the dogs just as the enemy was about to break, leading to a rout that was often more lethal than the battle itself. Ponce De Leon reportedly used a brace of these large war dogs to suppress a slave rebellion in Puerto Rico. In the eighteenth century, the renowned Prussian king and warlord Frederick the Great employed dogs as battlefield messengers. A celebrated dog lover, he is famously quoted: “The more I see of men, the better I like my dog."

War Dogs were used in Ancient Times

Yankee Doodle Dogs

Soldiers always had affection
for dogs

By the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775, dogs were well-established and an essential part of the culture in the thirteen colonies. However, they weren’t always welcomed. In 1772, Williamsburg’s city leaders passed legislation called the Act to Prevent Mischief from Dogs, which banned anyone from owning a female dog in the city. Residents could keep two male dogs as long as they wore marked collars. Strays would be put down. The era of the Yankee Doodle Spies marked the beginning of advocacy for animals. In 1776, an Anglican clergyman named Humphrey Primatt published a key work titled: “A Dissertation on the Duty of Mercy and Sin of Cruelty to Brute Animals.” Sort of a Declaration of Independence for animals. The increasing popularity of fox hunting in England and the colonies created a demand for hunting dogs. While dogs traditionally herded livestock, carried messages, guarded their owners, and transported packs, they also grew more popular as pets. During the Revolutionary War, they offered comfort to their owners who were far from home. Dogs served as both working animals and pets in colonial America. And, of course, there were sporting dogs as well. While fighting, both British and American soldiers adopted stray dogs and other animals as they traveled. Many units in both armies kept dogs as pets and mascots. Let’s highlight a few notable figures from the war who have a connection to the beloved canine.

Many British Regiments had dogs as
mascots

His Excellency

The leading figure of the Glorious Cause, George Washington, loved dogs. As a Virginia planter, he was an enthusiastic hunter, and most of his dogs were used for hunting. Washington also owned Black and Tan Coonhounds. Interestingly, he named them Drunkard, Taster, Tippler, and Tipsy. Just as Washington experimented with farming, he is said to have done the same with his dogs, breeding coonhounds with staghounds. The Marquis de Lafayette, a close and long-time friend of Washington, sent him seven staghounds as a gift. During the time of the Yankee Doodle Spies, these dogs were exceptional hunters, bred to chase their prey using speed and sharp sight. Three of Washington’s staghounds were named Sweet Lips, Scentwell, and Vulcan. More names to amuse.

Dogs played no small part in a planter's life,
especially the First Planter

Charles Lee

Gen Charles Lee loved his dogs more
than people

One of the most controversial, eccentric, and distasteful characters was Major General Charles Lee. The former British officer, mercenary, and Virginia planter served as a rival to Washington and was the second-ranking officer in the Continental Army. Lee always seemed to be accompanied by a pack of hounds, which he doted on and treated better than most people around him. Once, during a social event, he had his favorite dog, Spada, mount a chair and present his paw to Abigail Adams, who was also a dog lover. In December 1776, Lee was captured under mysterious circumstances while separated from his troops during a visit to White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. A British raiding party led by the equally notorious Banastre Tarleton captured Lee in the early morning hours and took him into captivity. After his capture, Lee wrote to Washington requesting that a servant and an aide-de-camp be sent to him along with “my dogs…as I never stood in greater need of their company than at present." I incorporated Lee’s dogs into one of the plots of my novel, The Cavalier Spy (2012, Twilight Times Books). Lee’s relationship with the dogs plays a role in his search for Lee, and the dogs nearly frustrate his efforts, although they do not impede the efforts of Tarleton and the British.

 

Baron von Steuben

Italian Greyhound

“Baron” von Steuben, a German officer who offered his services to America, served as inspector general and major general of the Continental Army. Steuben played a key role in retraining the Continental Army at Valley Forge. His “Blue Book” of drills served as the Army’s manual for years after the war. Less well known is that Von Steuben loved dogs. His favorite was said to be an Italian greyhound named Azor. Azor went everywhere with Steuben; in that sense, he was much like his erstwhile master, Frederick the Great.

Von Steuben

William Howe

Gen Howe

The British commander-in-chief in North America, General Sir William Howe, also had a fondness for dogs. During the Philadelphia campaign in 1777, Howe’s army barely fended off a surprise attack by Washington’s Continental Army. The battle was fought in the fog and was more chaotic than most 18th-century conflicts. Washington’s divisions could not coordinate their movements because they couldn’t see what was happening on the battlefield. After some hard fighting, the Americans withdrew, abandoning their capital to British occupation. Somehow, during the fog-enveloped combat, a small dog was found by the Americans. After the battle, they learned from his collar that he belonged to General Howe. Many around Washington urged him to keep the dog as a form of revenge for their loss and as an act of defiance against the British commander. But ever the gentleman, Washington saw the situation differently.

He ordered the dog returned to Howe with this two-line message:

“General Washington’s compliments to General Howe does himself the pleasure to return him a dog, which accidentally fell into his hands, and by the inscription on the Collar appears to belong to General Howe.”

A fully documented draft of the note is still in the archives, written in the handwriting of Washington’s aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton.

Yankee Doodle Dog