THE LEGEND OF THE DOG OF MONTARGIS

Life's meanderings took an interesting turn while substitute teaching a few days ago.  I was filling-in for a middle school English class and found a book on the classroom shelf:  Dragon - Hound of Honor written by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton (Copyright 2004). 

Firstly, I had never realized that the famous actress and singer Julie Andrews was an author of children's books.  She co-authored the book with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton.  Secondly, their fiction novel was an adaptation of the old French tale:  "The Legend of the Dog of Montargis".

As a consequence of reading about the legend, I found another book entitled:  The Beast in the Boudoir which is a nonfiction book that relates historic accounts of pets' fidelity (especially dogs) in 19th Century France.  http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft3c6004dj;chunk.id=0;doc.view=print

A brief summary of the Legend of the Dog of Montargis is that a King's knight, Aubrey, was riding through the forest with his dog Dragon accompanying.  Aubrey was murdered along the forest road and Dragon remained by his owners body.  Eventually, Dragon, a devoted dog, returned alone to the King's court.  He picked-out the murderer from a roomful of knights and other court people.  Dragon attacked his owner's murderer in front of the entire court.  The King witnessed the event and ordered a battle between the suspect and Dragon to decide whether the suspect was truly guilty.  At the start of the battle, Dragon leaped on the suspect and knocked him to the ground.  Before Dragon could fully avenge his owner, Knight Aubrey, the suspect admitted his guilt and confessed to the murder of Aubrey.  Hence, Dragon became the Hound of Honor. 

Historically, it was alluded that Dragon was a "greyhound".  This was derived from 1 or 2 original letters from the knight's period which related the events that had occurred in Montargis sometime between 1360 and 1400.  In the 1840's era, a French play depicting the legend apparently used a Briard to play the part of Dragon.  What breed of dog was Dragon?  I have not seen the original letters from French Knight history.  Perhaps Dragon was a Berger Picard?  Here is one of my own photos of a wonderful Berger Picard from the Greenwich Kennel Club Dog Show, June 2013:

1985 Westminster Champion - The Alabama Slammer

In 1986 while living and working in Norwalk, CT (the first time), I was invited to go to dinner with some local Democrat women at Bloodroot Restaurant in Bridgeport.   I do not recall the exact circumstances of the dinner since I am not involved in politics and never have been.  Guess I am a political slacker.  

I got into the back seat of the sedan and there was an elderly woman, who was already in the vehicle, sitting next to me.  After the usual introductory chit-chat, we just starting talking about dogs.  I guess this old lady could see that I liked dogs.   So we started talking about dogs and the Westminster Dog Show.   So I said:  "I recall the last Sporting Group winner was the Alabama Slammer, the Gordon Setter" (1985).  She looked at me and said:  "I bred the Alabama Slammer" .

So I said to her, in disbelief:  "You bred the Alabama Slammer"?  You know how young people, such as myself back then, can be!

"Yes", she said, "I did".  "However, Cocker Spaniels are what I am known for in the dog world".  .....

The location of this conversation was while we was driving along Route 136 in Westport, CT.  I was much younger and likely naive.  Yet, I knew without saying much that this was a moment in life that I would never forget and I never have forgotten.  Never met the old lady, again and that evening I never asked her name and she never told me her name.  She was one of my inspirations for becoming a fan of the American Kennel Club and the Westminster Dog Show. 

See the Westminster Kennel Club link for the "1985 Champion":  http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/history/sportwinners.html



Postcript (2/14/2014):  As things go, it was subsequently revealed that this old woman was the author F. Scott Fitzgerald's daughter.  Her father had been part of the Westport, CT arts scene in years past. 

THE AMERICAN FOXHOUND

This year at the recent Westminster Dog Show in New York City an American Foxhound, nicknamed Jewel, won the Hound Group.  A few days prior to this I had been reviewing old-time American Dog Show History and found this article about the American Foxhound from 1897:

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Outing/Volume_30/outXXX02/outXXX02d.pdf


To continue, President and General Washington was one of the first in the United States to import Foxhounds from Europe.  Some may have been English Foxhounds, although he received French Hounds (Grand Bleu de Gascogne) as a gift from General Lafayette.  He maintained a large Foxhound kennel and breeding program in Virginia.  Washington supposedly also obtained dogs from a lineage of English Foxhounds introduced to America by a Robert Brooke in 1650 and bred these with the dogs given to him by General Lafayette.  The following is a mural representation of Washington with his hounds:  

The mural was painted by John Ward Dunsmore in 1909.    The famous Faunces Tavern of New York City is associated with the art of Mr. Dunsmore:  

http://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/dunsmore.html

A link to the American Kennel Club provides a summarized timeline for the American Foxhound in the United States which was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1886: 

http://www.akc.org/breeds/american_foxhound/did_you_know.cfm 

I am glad Jewel won the Hound group this year and cheer for every other dog at the Westminster Dog Show.  I have my favorite dog breeds including my own pets and have always dreamed about having one of my own dogs showing at Westminster some day!

LADIES OF THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB 1902

An article written by Lillian Moeran for Outing Magazine in 1902 is posted for your reading enjoyment:

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Outing/Volume_40/outXXXX04/outXXXX04c.pdf

Mrs. Moeran was a successful dog breeder and handler and associated with the Ladies Kennel Association of American.  She wrote magazine articles about various dog breeds.  Her writing style, although colloquial, displayed a knowledge about dog breeds, breeding, and handling/exhibiting in the United States.  A photo of Mrs. Moeran and her toy spaniels is found in the article.

THE WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW-YEAR 1888

The following is a link to an interesting article from the magazine "Outing" from the year 1888 about the Westminster Dog Show which is held every February at Madison Square Garden in New York City:

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Outing/Volume_12/outXII03/outXII03a.pdf

[The Outing magazine archives, along with other historic sporting journals, is accessible from the Los Angeles Sports Foundation digital archives.  The foundation was begun in 1984 with the Summer Olympics which were held in Los Angeles, CA that year.   I was originally referred to the Los Angeles Sports Foundation by Mr. George Dales, a professional friend and retired track and field/cross country coach from Western Michigan University, while researching track and field history.]

Wolf hunting in Russia - Pathé Frères 1910

The Borzoi is a beautiful dog with a long history.  Borzoi were brought to western Europe and the United States from Russia in the latter 1800's and early 1900's.  Recently, I found a short video of Borzoi's being used to hunt wolves.  The video dates to 1910 and had English text in the video.  The video is from Pathe Freres which was a French film studio.

NAVAHO

 A few weeks ago the Mark Sublette Gallery (http://www.medicinemangallery.com/) of Tuscon, AZ and Santa Fe, NM posted a beautiful photograph of a Navaho grandmother with her horse and dog herding sheep along the redrock desert
The exact location is irrelevant, yet is most probably in western New Mexico or eastern Arizona.  The Navaho have a centuries-old tradition of sheep herding and weaving. They are well known for their colorful rugs and blankets:   

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151052735622732&set=a.225502162731.134165.221256922731&type=1&theater


I have always enjoyed wandering around the southwestern United States and learning about the Native American traditions and cultures. 

My first Belgian Tervuren female was born on the Navaho Reservation in Shiprock, NM, USA.  The dog breeder was a school psychologist employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and living with her husband and dogs in a house on the reservation.  I was living full-time in Albuquerque, NM, USA and attending the University of New Mexico at that time.   On the morning of November 3, 1997, I was browsing through the Belgian Tervuren magazine at home in Albuquerque, when I noticed the advertisement for a litter of puppies expected that month in Shiprock, NM.  I had planned for many years to get a Tervuren puppy.  On the same morning in November, I sent a quick email inquiry to the dog breeder and she promptly emailed me back that the puppies were just being born and that she would get back to me in a day or two.  I knew then that a Tervuren from this litter was meant to be....

So when the puppies were 6 weeks old in December, I drove to Shiprock, NM which was a few hours round-trip,   I met all the puppies and reserved a puppy from the litter.  There was one cute female that kept jumping-up to me in the puppy pen as I sat beside the pen with all the puppies.  She wanted all the attention as I was trying to pet each puppy.  This puppy's baby nickname was "Navaho".

During the University of New Mexico Christmas Holiday semester vacation, I went home to Connecticut for a while with my young male Brittany, Montana, and my 15 year old female Pointer whom I had adopted when she was 4 years old.   While home in Connecticut my female Pointer was found to have metastasized cancer in her spine and lungs and had to be euthanized on January 9, 1998.  She had been diagnosed with a tumor near her kidney months before and did well on Prednisone for many months.   I was told the tumor could not be resected because it was too close to blood vessels.   So Montana and I headed back to Albuquerque alone and with a heavy heart on January 11 of that year.  

When we arrived back in Albuquerque, I called the dog breeder and made arrangements to pick-up my new 11 week old Tervuren puppy, "Navajo", who I renamed "Monique" as her call name.  Hence, on January 14, 1998 a wonderful journey of life began with my girl Monique and our best friend Montana:

Monique (above photo at 14 weeks) was an excellent cow herder.  We did not have an opportunity to herd sheep since we lived in Albuquerque and the nearby mesa had a small population of cows but no sheep.  Monique was as swift as the wind running across the mesa.  Only a local coyote was faster than her. 

I used bring them to the mesa 3-4 times per week for exercise and training.  She and Montana, on one visit to the mesa, got into an impromptu play session with a female coyote - hide-and-seek.  This lone coyote ran about 300 yards, in full view, across the desert and started playing with Montana.  Monique immediately jumped into the action, however, the coyote female out-raced Monique and Montana to a nearby hill and disappeared.  When I finally caught-up to them they had stopped at the bottom of the hill searching for their new friend.  Coyote (whom I subsequently called Coyote Woman) appeared at the top of the hill panting and was looking down at Monique, Montana, and me - who were looking up at her!  What a precious and amusing moment.  

On another occasion a mother cow and her new born calf were stranded on the mesa away from the bull and herd.  Monique, Montana, and me were out for our usual exercise and fun.  Monique jumped on this situation, also.  She trotted right over to the mother cow and calf.  The calf would not get-up and the mother was very anxious about being stranded away from the protection of the herd.   To my amazement, I watched Monique move to the right of the mother cow and gently nuzzle her right side with her nose.  The mother cow got noisy and tempermental, but Monique kept at this.  She did not move to the left side where the calf was laying.  After a few nudges to the mother and a little dust stirring-up on the mesa, the calf stood-up.  For the next half-mile, Monique walked stride for stride with the mother cow and calf across the desert until they arrived back at the herd (Mother cow in the middle, calf on the mother's left side, and Monique on the mother cow's right side).  Montana and me just patiently followed about 20 yards behind.  She had not had any herding lessons. Monique was so beautiful, graceful, and good, and I was so very proud of her!

I did not carry a camera on our outings to the mesa during that time so I have no photos of these moments, yet remember each and every precious moment with her.  She died at the age of 11 years on January 27, 2009 at home at 3:20 AM.  I woke-up in the middle of the night to find her taking her last few breaths as she lay unconsious. 

Included are a few photos of Monique from puppyhood to her 11 years: 

https://plus.google.com/photos/100733800405413145015/albums/5647776019430078577/5647776435843192466?banner=pwa 


Monique, Montana, and me are forever entwined in the Native American west and their peoples' culture from our joint life journey while we traveled around New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and back and forth to Connecticut.  What great times we had together.  I celebrate Monique/Navaho's life this month!

THE LANDSEER VARIETY OF NEWFOUNDLAND DOG

An 1856 painting by Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873) entitled "Saved" depicting a Landseer Newfoundland dog after saving a child:

 

The Newfoundland dog is typically recognized by a completely black coat color.  The Landseer variety has a white coat with black markings.   Edwin Landseer was both a painter and sculptor.  He was known for his paitings of dogs, horses, and stags.  However, his artistic fame is commonly associated with his lion sculptures in Trafalgar Square, London, England. 

The Landseer variety of Newfoundland dog is named after the painter/sculptor because of his realistic paintings of these dogs in the 1800's.  The following painting by Edwin Landseer is entitled "A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society" and was exhibited in the 1830's:

Coincidentally, a few days ago, I was going through a pile of U. S. mail on my desk.  I had received a mailing from the William Secord Gallery (http://dogpainting.com) in New York City.  The card included an announcement of an acquisition of a retriever dog painting by Edwin Landseer. 

April 1878 - New York Times RE: The Westminster Dog Show

For the last few weeks I have been searching for photos and information about the "Canine Section" of the 1878 Paris Exposition.   To date, I have not found any photos or articles on the topic of the dog show from the exposition.  The 1878 Paris Exposition featured a canine section which was organized by Mr. Charles Crufts of England.  Also, this may have been the first time a formal exhibit of pet food was held at an international exposition.  Charles Crufts, who was stated to be a manager of a dog biscuit manufacturer in England, subsequently organized the famous Crufts Dog Show in England.  The first all-breed Crufts Dog Show was held in 1891.  Prior to 1891, a Crufts Dog Show had been organized in 1886 soley for Terrier dog breeds. 

Notably, the Statue of Liberty was being constucted in France during the 1878 Paris Exposition which featured an exhibit of the crown of the statue:

The New York Times newspaper archives referenced the Paris Exposition of 1878 a number of times.  The following is a "spiderbyte" of a New York Times article about the Westminster Dog Show for the same year and from the same list of references:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9800E3DE1E3FE63BBC4051DFB2668383669FDE

Many of the breeds of dogs that were popular in England during that time were also popular in the United States.  A historical summary of early dog shows in England is also provided by the Irish Wolfhound Kennel Club: 

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

Hooch Hounds

Hooch Hounds entered into dogdom fame during the Prohibition Era, i. e., dogs trained to sniff-out liquor, booze, alcoholic beverages.  The following American "Hooch Hound" photo is from the Library of Congress photo archives:

I am not certain whether specific breeeds of dogs were recruited or whether any old dog was recruited for the job.  Click on the photo to view the Library of Congress archive listing and description. 

"Retrieved" a book by Charlotte Dumas

I found this beautiful book inadvertently while reviewing some listings of museum exhibitions.  Retrieved is a pictorial exposition of some of the rescue dogs who worked at the World Trade Towers site after 9/11.  Specifically, the author revisits with these aged, senior rescue dogs 10 years post 9/11. 

View:

 http://www.charlottedumas.nl/

 for additional information about the book or for ordering the book directly. 

Currently, Dumas has an exhibition entitled "Anima" at the Corcoran Gallery in
Washington, D. C..  The exhibition runs through most of October 2012.  This exhibition
focuses on the U. S. Army Infantry horses who work at Arlington National Cemetery for
military funerals.  Here is some additional information about the "Anima" exhibition on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/45858947

Popularity of Dog Breeds in the United States (1880's-1920's) - A Macroscopic Viewpoint

(The popular Collie, representative for Uneeda Biscuits, circa 1910)

Dog fanciers of the fashionable, original American dog shows in the 1880's demonstrated that there were specific dog breed favorites among the "nouveau" on the American kennel club scene.  This era was part of the "Gilded Age" which was a term applied to the industrialization, wealth and power of east coast Americana.  

Companion dogs such as various types of toy dogs were extremely popular with Americans.  Perhaps the Collie was and remained the most popular American herding or working dog breed of the era between the 1880's and 1930's and was often found on average American farms and ranches.  Basically, my brain's first memories
as a 3 year old child were recorded as:  "me a 3 year old child playing with a Collie (Rough Coat) named Laddie in Detroit, Michigan, i. e.,  Laddie inadvertently knocked me into a rose bush in the backyard".  I did not get too scratched-up from the rose bush thorns and I made sure that no one reprimanded Laddie for knocking me over.  My own life as a dog person began with those initial amusing memories of playing with Laddie. 

The sporting or hunting dog breeds, selectively, became another popular group of dogs.  The popularity of sporting dogs in the 1880's coincided with the appearance of upland game bird hunting as an outdoor sport. 

To digress, during this time management of the American wilderness by the Federal government and the need for conservation of the undeveloped wilderness areas began to filter into the American public consciousness.  Yellowstone Park became the first National Park that was established in the 1880's as a consequence of this cognitive awakening.  By 1900 the populations of many species of  mammals which are indigenous to the United States, including birds, had been decimated.  Hunters who lived-off-the-land found that game species on which they subsisted had become increasingly scarce due to the increasing population of Americans moving into rural areas, precipitous decreases in wilderness/habitat areas, and hunting-in-excess by everyone within the hunting community.  There was a strange man-made dichotomy between the bounty system of paying for the killing of important first order predator mammals, such as big cats and wolves, and the implementation of Federal and State conservation laws for birds and fish.  Both bird hunting for sport and sport fishing had also become social hobbies for many types of Americans.  The devastation of the some bird species with extravagant plumage was also related to production and sales of items which utilized bird feathers (e.g., hats, dresses, etc.).   Theodore Roosevelt, an avid hunter, was instrumental in working toward a ban on the bird feather market which ultimately resulted in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

In 1918 the Migratory Bird Treaty Act became a Federal statute between the United States and Canada. This statute regulated the numbers of migratory bird species that could hunted or killed within the United States and Canada. The dichotomy is highlighted when one considers the large bounties that continued to be paid to exterminate mountain lions, bobcats, lynx, wolves, and coyotes during these same timeframes (1800's-1900's). My perspective is that the development of recreational sports of bird hunting and fishing dictated to the Federal and State fish and game management polices through the 1930's. An important aspect of this dichotomy was the establishment of commercial wild bird farms and freshwater fish hatcheries in the United States dating to the 1880's and 1890's.

The magazine Forest and Stream was founded in 1873 and covered all aspects of outdoor recreation including bird hunting (see the note about Charles Hallock, the founder of Forest and Stream).  In every issue there were articles about pointers and setters and hunting dog training.  The excerpt about Hallock is from a book entitled:  Historical Dictionary of the Gilded Age.  Scrolling through the contents of an online issue of Forest and Stream Magazine from 1917,  the influential scope of sport hunting and fishing in the United States by the early 1900's is revealed.

Thus, sporting dogs were and still are some of the first important members of the American Kennel Club:  For dog show fans (including me) Sensation, the great Pointer and symbol of the Westminister Kennel Club in New York City, always will be the most famous American sporting dog celebrity. 

Bain News Agency Photos

Bain News Agency was one of the first photographic news agencies in the United States.  This news group photographed celebrities, world leaders, dogs, and dog shows.  The agency was started by George Grantham Bain (1865-1944).  The extensive collection, which includes many photos of dogs, dog shows, early veterinary clinics, the Hartsdale, NY Dog Cemetery, and working dogs from the World War I era, is found in the Library of Congress archives.

Bain News Agency Collection (Dogs)

There is a photo of one of the inhumane ways of how stray dogs were euthanized in the 1800's and early 1900's.  I thought this was relevant since the issue of excessive dog breeding existed in the United States, as well as, other countries during the 1800's and early 1900's.  Unfortunately, backyard dog breeders existed at that time.  Also, there was an excess of dog breeding from kennels and many of the dogs, which appeared to be bred for profit, were either never sold or sold at very low prices because of the increasing population of domestic canines in the United States.  The same problem exists today, i. e., backyard dog breeders and kennels which breed dogs for profit.  Ultimately, the "for profit" dog breeders, including puppy mills, DO NOT produce any profit whether it is the 19th, 20th, or 21st Century and many of these animals end up in shelters or on the streets. 

In the Bain News Agency collection there are a number of photos from the 1908 Mineola, Long Island, New York dog show which is known by many dog show people as one of the oldest dog shows in the United States - The Ladies Kennel Association of America (Long Island).  The following   This photo is of the famous Champion Russian Wolfhound "Michael Strogoff" from the 1908 show: 

Some of the dogs in the show were owned by high profile New York City families, such as J. P. Morgan's family .  A family friend holds a Pekinese owned by the wife of J. P. Morgan, Jr. at the Mineola dog show:

 

and the Guggenheim family, were entrants at this dog show.  View one of the Bain News Agency photos of M. R. Guggenheim with his Eskimo Dogs at the show in Mineola, New York, 1908: 

 

 

M. R. Guggenheim is the nephew of Daniel Guggenheim.   Daniel Guggenheim was on the Titanic when the ship sunk in April, 1912.  He did not survive.  Captain Smith of the Titanic is shown with a Russian Wolfhound which was supposedly given to him by Daniel Guggenheim for his daughter.  The photo was taken prior to the departure of the Titanic from the British Isles, however, the dog was left with his daughter in England and was not on board the ship when it sank (Reference for additional information about the dogs that were aboard the Titanic.  The other dogs on the Titanic were owned by New York City (including John Jacob Astor, IV and his Airedale Kitty) and Philadelphia society members who were typically dog show people.  It was not uncommon for these travelers to bring their dogs along on trips to Europe and elsewhere) : http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pets/Women-and-dogs-first--Exhibit-tells-tale-of-Titanics-canines.html?text=lg&cat=&page=5&month=5&year=&main=&c=y        :

 

 

 ..

 

A photo of John Jacob Astor and his Airdale walking on Fifth Avenue in New York City.  Astor had been in the Middle East and Europe with his second wife and Kitty.  They were on the Titanic for the return trip to New York City: 

New England Bench Show poster from 1890 featuring popular dog breeds of the day:

 

 

A list of dog training books from a Dogdom Monthly issue from 1909::

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great War - the front and trenches

As most people know, World War I was fought primarily from trenches and with horrible consequences to the soldiers and citizens.  Dogs and horses were principles in battle and casualties, as well.  Dogs were used to carry messages and locate injured soldiers.  The following is a photo of a French Sargent and his dog heading to the front both equipped with gas masks:

There is a brief blog note regarding the accounting for war dogs by the French military with 2 accompanying photos posted by Ptak Science books (Ptak Science Books is an appraiser and seller of anitquated books and maps.  Ptak was originally based in an office Washington D. C. in the Georgetown area:  http://longstreet.typepad.com/thesciencebookstore/2008/12/a-wartime-census-of-war-dogs-1918.html

A prominent war dog training book written in English by Lt. Colonel E. H. Richardson was published in 1921.  The book can be download from some of the following links:  





http://www.archive.org/stream/britishwardogsth00richrich/britishwardogsth00richrich_djvu.txt

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/26715

http://openlibrary.org/books/OL23283100M/British_war_dogs_their_training_and_psychology

Richardson worked with various types of dogs, yet he is known for his corps of Airdales trained during World War I: 

Here in an undated photo the "Major Richardson" is pictured with some of his trained Red Cross Dogs:

 

 

 

 







Old Brittany photos (cont'd)

Photo of a Brittany on Raquette Lake, NY in the Adirondack Mountains from between 1905-1910 which was taken by William Henry Jackson, professional photographer.  This was either Jackson's own dog or a friend's dog.  The dog resembles a lineage of French Spaniels from French Canada:

Pierre Lorrillard IV and Brittanys

Found this photo of Pierre Lorrillard IV, the American tobacco magnate with a Brittany.  Lorrillard was know for his Rancocas Stables (Jobstown, NJ) and Kennels. His kennels in the latter 1880's consisted primarily of Black and Tan setters.

Lorrillard was based in the New York City area and had a home in Tuxedo Park, NY. See the link for the Tuxedo Club which he founded in Tuxedo Park, NY.

Originally, I had dated this photo from the 1920's due to the hat and furniture in the photo, however, this Lorrillard (the IV) passed away in New York City in 1901, thus the photo likely was taken in the 1890's or 1900.  Harris & Ewing Company, based in Washington D. C. took the photograph.  H & E was a well known photography company in the latter 1800's and early 1900's.  They photographed dignitaries, including U. S. Presidents, celebrities, as well as, noncelebrities.   In their archives are photos of Presidents T. Roosevelt, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover with their pet dogs. There are also a number of photos in their archives of other people with their dogs and some dog show photography.  I found this photo in the Library of Congress archives in Washington D. C. and subsequently noticed copies of this photograph can be purchased on Amazon.com and elsewhere on the internet.  There was no copyright on this photo stored at the Library of Congress.

What is interesting about the Brittany in this photo is that this dog breed was not recognized by the American Kennel Club until the 1930's.   Although a Red and White setter dog breed can be found in the British Isles, there is an occasional reference in the early American field trial history to smaller (under 50 pounds) orange and white pointers.  Lorrillard held the position as President of the Eastern Field Trial Club. He was also a field trial judge.  This particular dog reminds me of my own Brittany, Montana, who died 3 weeks ago at the age of 15 years.

Pierre Lorrillard IV was also a thoroughbred race horse owner and had American and European champion horses.  Also, he coauthored a book about Mayan archeology in Mexico after funding an archeological expedition to that location. 

An excerpt from the website NewYorkSocialDiaries refers to the photo: "Pierre Lorillard with his dog. Mr. Lorillard traveled with his dogs and horses. His yacht towed an auxiliary two-story boat equipped with stables and kennels, thus arriving at Jekyll Island ready for the hunt." The reference is to the Gilded Age estates on Jekyll Island which is now owned by the State of Georgia.  Upland game bird hunting became very popular with club sportsmen in the latter 1800's.  

Also view:  Handmade Houseboats, see Chapter 1, Page 2, 1st paragraph re:  Pierre Lorrillard's houseboat "Caiman".  

Educated Dogs

Funny from 1875!

Vintage Dog Photos

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/jul/18/vintage-dog-photography-in-pictures#/?picture=376984044&index=0

Dogdom Monthly - Advertisement of Dog Books 1909

Advertisement from one of the 1909 issues of Dogdom Monthly, which includes a selection of dog books: