K-9 Kampground Online

Reprinted from DogWorld 1/2000

Now, in the 21st century we are enjoying a summit in our relationship with dogs. Owner's spend billions on their pets' health and happiness. These pets are considered members of the family.

But what does the future hold for our best friends? In the last 200 years of canine history dogs have been pampered in posh surroundings, reviled as extravagant luxuries and relegated to the streets.

Will the next century hail continued progress, or will it bring regression into the past once more? History may hold the clues.

Pets were big business in the 1780's. The French court embraced dogs of all sizes. Count de Buffon claimed that breeding dogs in this upperclass environment produced superior pets, just as it had the people who owned them.

Aristocrats regarded their dogs as indispensable and beyond price. Even Louis XVI, who seemed so unmoved by the suffering of his human subjects, lavished his dogs with praise and kisses. Toys, beds with monogrammed pillows and blankets, ornate collars and birthday gifts were de rigueur for canines lucky enough to be born into the "Age of Enlightenment." But for every pup fattened on roasted duck, thousands more were on the brink of starvation. Both dogs and people toiled through their brutally short lives in service of this elite class. That is, until 1789, when all hell broke loose.

Shortly after the storming of the Bastille, many aristocrat's dogs were rounded up and burned at the stake before cheering mobs of peasants. In their eyes, these "useless" animals were treated with greater respect than they were and were the pinnacle of selfish extravagance. Maximilien Robespierre, leader of the revolt, banished "luxury" dogs and proclaimed that any empathy for them was a form of forbidden decadence.

What happened in France would prove to be a critical flash point in the world of dogs, sparking what would become a repeating pattern Through the 19th century, dogs again climbed the long ladder from slave to soul mate, only to be dealt another setback as society plunged into war and depression. Decades of progress would be unraveled, forcing 20th century dogs to repeat the trek from lowly property to cherished family member.

In the 19th century, tales of high-paying factory jobs and inexpensive housing triggered a mass migration of emancipated serfs to rapidly growing cities in Europe and America. Three generations after the fall of the monarchy, working class members had acquired sufficient financial and political power to challenge the uppermost barriers of Victorian society.

The keeping of dogs simply for pleasure again became the fashion. Every working man dreamed of becoming a well-heeled squire with a pack of pedigreed hounds. For ladies, dandified lap dogs complemented their visions of personal fashion and the perfect home.

Paradoxically, this middle class felt no compunction about applying to the world of dogs the same feudal order that had once oppressed them.

Closed lineages patterned after the inbred, royal families of Europe were used to increase the appeal and price of an exclusive set of dog breeds. At the same time, the canine lower class, which included working breeds and mongrels, were vilified.

Packs of unwanted dogs roamed city streets looking for handouts prompted police officers to apprehend these "curs of low degree" and take them to one of the newly established pounds for quick disposal by drowning or clubbing.

Living with dogs in the city environment played a role in the public's changing attitude toward them. Traditional life on the farm had exiled most canines to the barn with the rest of the livestock, but cramped urban dwellings meant that dogs and people were living in intimate proximity in unprecedented numbers. One by one, owners were realizing dogs were more than accessories to be exchanged with each new fashion - they were capable of understanding and reciprocating expressions of love with clear, wellconsidered replies of their own, even though these might be gestures or doggie vocalizations.

Here was an animal unlike any other, one seemingly capable of the same range of basic emotions that defined humanity and supposedly set us above the rest of the animal kingdom. Certainly dogs were innocent of the complex paradoxes; of civilized live, yet they were obviously aware of themselves and others, That discovery flew '1h the fkce. of "scientific" research that asserted nonhuman animals were automatons, incapable of sentience or even of feeling pain.

Moreover, as industrialized life became increasingly impersonal, here was a "member of the family" who accepted and loved its disillusioned human partner regardless of status shortcomings. The culmination of this revelation-that one reciprocated a dog's love with equal intensity and devotion was a sort of "epiphany.' Once again, as in late 18th century France, pet owners were coming to the realization that the value of their dogs lay not in their pedigrees but in their distinctive individualities. In an era obsessed with material wealth and class status, this was a profound and unsettling discovery. For if one dog was capable of this incredible depth of feeling, people pondered in increasing numbers, the, rest of them might be as well.



				January 2001
				January 2001





			Reprinted from DogWorld 1/2000 Now, in the 21st century we are enjoying a summit in our relationship with dogs. Owner's spend billions on their pets' health and happiness. These pets are considered members of the family. But what does the future hold for our best friends? In the last 200 years of canine history dogs have been pampered in posh surroundings, reviled as extravagant luxuries and relegated to the streets. Will the next century hail continued progress, or will it bring regression into the past once more? History may hold the clues. Pets were big business in the 1780's. The French court embraced dogs of all sizes. Count de Buffon claimed that breeding dogs in this upperclass environment produced superior pets, just as it had the people who owned them. Aristocrats regarded their dogs as indispensable and beyond price. Even Louis XVI, who seemed so unmoved by the suffering of his human subjects, lavished his dogs with praise and kisses. Toys, beds with monogrammed pillows and blankets, ornate collars and birthday gifts were de rigueur for canines lucky enough to be born into the "Age of Enlightenment." But for every pup fattened on roasted duck, thousands more were on the brink of starvation. Both dogs and people toiled through their brutally short lives in service of this elite class. That is, until 1789, when all hell broke loose. Shortly after the storming of the Bastille, many aristocrat's dogs were rounded up and burned at the stake before cheering mobs of peasants. In their eyes, these "useless" animals were treated with greater respect than they were and were the pinnacle of selfish extravagance. Maximilien Robespierre, leader of the revolt, banished "luxury" dogs and proclaimed that any empathy for them was a form of forbidden decadence. What happened in France would prove to be a critical flash point in the world of dogs, sparking what would become a repeating pattern Through the 19th century, dogs again climbed the long ladder from slave to soul mate, only to be dealt another setback as society plunged into war and depression. Decades of progress would be unraveled, forcing 20th century dogs to repeat the trek from lowly property to cherished family member. In the 19th century, tales of high-paying factory jobs and inexpensive housing triggered a mass migration of emancipated serfs to rapidly growing cities in Europe and America. Three generations after the fall of the monarchy, working class members had acquired sufficient financial and political power to challenge the uppermost barriers of Victorian society. The keeping of dogs simply for pleasure again became the fashion. Every working man dreamed of becoming a well-heeled squire with a pack of pedigreed hounds. For ladies, dandified lap dogs complemented their visions of personal fashion and the perfect home. Paradoxically, this middle class felt no compunction about applying to the world of dogs the same feudal order that had once oppressed them. Closed lineages patterned after the inbred, royal families of Europe were used to increase the appeal and price of an exclusive set of dog breeds. At the same time, the canine lower class, which included working breeds and mongrels, were vilified. Packs of unwanted dogs roamed city streets looking for handouts prompted police officers to apprehend these "curs of low degree" and take them to one of the newly established pounds for quick disposal by drowning or clubbing. Living with dogs in the city environment played a role in the public's changing attitude toward them. Traditional life on the farm had exiled most canines to the barn with the rest of the livestock, but cramped urban dwellings meant that dogs and people were living in intimate proximity in unprecedented numbers. One by one, owners were realizing dogs were more than accessories to be exchanged with each new fashion - they were capable of understanding and reciprocating expressions of love with clear, wellconsidered replies of their own, even though these might be gestures or doggie vocalizations. Here was an animal unlike any other, one seemingly capable of the same range of basic emotions that defined humanity and supposedly set us above the rest of the animal kingdom. Certainly dogs were innocent of the complex paradoxes; of civilized live, yet they were obviously aware of themselves and others, That discovery flew '1h the fkce. of "scientific" research that asserted nonhuman animals were automatons, incapable of sentience or even of feeling pain. Moreover, as industrialized life became increasingly impersonal, here was a "member of the family" who accepted and loved its disillusioned human partner regardless of status shortcomings. The culmination of this revelation-that one reciprocated a dog's love with equal intensity and devotion was a sort of "epiphany.' Once again, as in late 18th century France, pet owners were coming to the realization that the value of their dogs lay not in their pedigrees but in their distinctive individualities. In an era obsessed with material wealth and class status, this was a profound and unsettling discovery. For if one dog was capable of this incredible depth of feeling, people pondered in increasing numbers, the, rest of them might be as well.