Dogs as Draught Cattle.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 3106, 31 July 1894, Page 4

Dogs as Draught Cattle.

Mr Nicholas Smith, the American Consul at Liege, has written an interesting report upon one of the most characteristic customs in Belgium, and one which not infrequently excites the ire of the British tourist —namely, the employment of dogs as draught animals. Mr Smith says : —“ From time immemorial this hereditary loafer has been given over to pleasure ; but, like certain other of the privileged classes in this revolving world of ours, he has had his day—at least in Belgium.” It appears that Lifege, which is a wealthy and industrial city, employing as many horses as any other town of its size in Europe, shows at least two dogs in harness on its streets for every horse that can be seen. Dogs are employed by market gardeners, butchers, bakers, grocers, porters, and express men. The dog’s step is so much quicker than that of the horse that he will in an hour cover twice the distance, and carry with him a greater burden in proportion to his size. The usual draught of an ordinary dog is 6001 b, though a mastiff has often to draw as much again. Dogs are also used in treadmills for moving light machinery. Mr Smith relates that a gentleman in Liege, after losing the use of his legs, had a perambulator so constructed that a Danish hound, which had been his companion for years, could be hitched and almost concealed between the wheels, and now appears as regularly in his old haunts on the boulevard as any of his friends. The dog is described as being not only as happy as when he loitered at his master’s heels, but manifestly proud of the service he renders him. Dogs are kept like horses at livery in Belgium in considerable numbers at a cost of 2d to 3d a day, horseflesh and black bread forming the staple of their food. Experiments in breeding, like those which have been so successful in the improvement of horses, are now being made with dogs to produce a style of animai especially fitted for harness. It is sought to graft the splendid chest and breathing capacity of the bull-dog upon the stalwart stock of the mastiff, which has been found too long in the back and legs. There are markets in Belgium where dogs are bought and sold for draught purposes as horses are at Tattersall’s and it is not unusual for a compactly-built and well-broken dog to bring £4 to £5. Consul Smith remarks that a force equal to that of Niagara is running to waste in the United States at the very heels of the people. He estimates that in wasted dog-power there is an idle force in America of at least 3,500,0001 b; reckoning the strength of a dog at 5001 b, which is probably much below the average. It is (remarks the Boston Herald) no cruelty to the dog to give him useful occupation, and, in fact, tho testimony is that he really likes it. If dogs could generally be made so healthily tired by useful work all the day that they would sleep soundly at night, the innovation would be hailed with joy by hundreds of thousands of people all over the country whose peace is disturbed by their nocturnal yelping and howling.