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Week 5 [7.11 - 13.11] Dogs and their role

Dogs have always been a man’s best friend. They are family’s mascots and members. They have had many roles, depending on the breed.
Mythology
When Diomos, a farmer, was sacrificing meat a white dog appeared and stole the offering. The farmer thought it was a sign and he built a temple of Herakles in a place where the dog left stolen meat. This place was called kyos – dog.
Service dogs
Everyone knows service dogs, which help people. There are five groups of assistance dogs:
- Guide dogs (seeing eye dogs) – assist the blind and the visually impaired
- Hearing dogs (signal dogs) – assist the deaf and hard of hearing by pointing where the source of sounds is
- Mobility assistance dog - assist a physically disabled by opening and closing doors, picking up things for its owner, helping with a wheelchair, operating light switches etc.
- Medical response dog – react in case of an attack of the disease by informing its owner about upcoming attack of the disease, bringing phone or medications, call for help
- Psychiatric service dogs – assist a person with a psychiatric disability (depression, autism etc.)
Homer, an ancient writer, the author of “Iliad” and “Odyssey” had a guide dog.
William -Adolphe Bouguerau "Homer and his Guide"
Hunting
For ages dogs have been companions during hunting. Some of them find a chased animal. There are three types of hunting dogs: small, medium and big. The Choice of a dog depends on what we expect from it and what we are looking for. For example, for hunting on foot people usually take Beagles, Bassets or similar breed of dogs, which have got great smell and are small. If hunters want to catch a boar, they take small dogs, like terriers, which are very lively and are supposed to tire out the boar by catching its tail, so it is easier for a hunter to catch the animal.
Airedale Terrier
Police dogs
Dogs who are used by the police, the army, the Border Guard, fire departments or in prison have to have great smell and they have to be well trained. They are used to search for explosive materials, drugs, weapons, groceries and other substances. You can find these dogs at airport. It is possible that you will be asked what is inside your backpack, because if you had food there, even a few days before, they will definitely smell it.
Police dogs also localize people while saving and chasing them. People may be saved from accidents or catastrophes. Dogs search for people who are missing or for corpses. But dogs may also disturb people who are hiding or running away.
Police dogs are usually German Shepherd, Dutch Shepherd, Malinois, Labrador, Doberman, Pocket Beagle, Rottweiler and Giant Schnauzer.
Dutch Shepherd
Dogs in culture and history
Dogs are important not only in our lives but also in our culture and history. It is hard to treat these categories separately, because stories of some dogs are sources for movies and books.
Our Polish example is “O psie, który jeździł koleją”. A story about Lampo, which spent days at a train station and in in evening he went back home with a scout. In this story Lampo died saving scout’s daughter.
There was a real Lampo, which often travelled by train. He died in a train accident. Today, in Tuscany, you can find Lampo’s monument.
Lampo's monument
There is also a very famous Great Dane… Scooby Doo. I believe that everyone knows this gourmand. At first, he seems very fearful, but he is a really brave and loyal dog, which always helps his friends. There are TV series about his adventures, there are movies and games.
Another dog you should know is Laika –a Soviet space dog. Sputnik 2, with Laika, was launched 3.11.1957. Laika wasn’t born to be an astronaut – she was stray dog in Moscow. And this made her a candidate to be one of the first animals in space, because scientists were looking for a dog, which knew how it was to feel extremely hunger and cold and could survive it.
Laika died during the flight.
Laika
There are more famous historical and fictional dogs, but I intentionally haven’t listed them. I’m sure that you know some of them – let’s play a game: please, write in comments famous dogs you know and let’s count how many we can find  :)
Bibliography:
- https://psy24.pl/rozrywka,ac101/slawne-psy,ac135/pies-w-starozytnosci,1192
-htp://psy-pies.com/artykul/rasy-psow-tropiacych,740.html
- Beagle and Airedale Terrier source (http://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.prod.vetstreet.com/6b/2d0f009e8c11e0a2380050568d634f/file/B eagle-2-645mk062311.jpg; https://www.google.pl/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pies.pl%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F03%2FAIREDALE-TERRIER-194.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pies.pl%2Fairedale-terrier%2F&docid=4k9ft1wzt1xXlM&tbnid=Ay-jrpSZUxhmAM%3A&w=500&h=337&client=firefox-b-ab&bih=672&biw=1408&ved=0ahUKEwi35-P08vDPAhUBjiwKHRgTBxMQMwgrKA0wDQ&iact=mrc&uact=8#h=337&imgdii=Ay-jrpSZUxhmAM%3A%3BAy-jrpSZUxhmAM%3A%3BoucZJwZf1RlphM%3A&w=500)
- Pocket Beagle and Dutch Shepherd (http://vetriscience.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/7669094_l.jpg; http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images25/DutchShepherdDogKyaraHassevdDoresteeMiraAlmost8MonthsOldHeleenKlinkenberg.jpg) -Lampo’s monument (http://i2.wp.com/unusual.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/lampo-the-railway-traveling-dog-monument.jpg)
-Laika (http://szponndler.blox.pl/resource/LaikathefirstAnimalinOrbit.jpg)

Comments

Sylwia Pechcin said…
There are plenty of famous dogs in some familu movies. For example 'Lassie'. To be frank, I haven't watched that film, but I know it so that this dog must be famous ;) Another idea I have in my mind is Pluto - a well known Disney's dog. There also were a film about Chihuahua in Beverly Hills, but this is another exaple of a film that I have heard of, but didn't watch. Summing up, I think that we can list famous dogs ad infinitum. Only in films there are a hudge amout of them ;)
Unknown said…
Great! Our list of known dog started :) I hope that we will find as many famous/well known dogs as possible!
-Lassie
-Pluto
-Chihuahua from Beverly Hills
(I hope that our list will be much longer :) )
Unknown said…
I'll add Krypto, Supermans dog to the list. Superman had quite a few superanimals, with a superhorse and such, but Krypto is the most famous one. He even once assisted Superman in defeating Superboy Prime, which is something I definitely haven't just read on wikipedia.
Unknown said…
So our list may be longer :)
There is a cartoon with dogs as main characters, and there is also Krypto - Super Dog, and he has got red cape, just like Superman
Ihor Ahnianikov said…
There is no doubt that dogs are part of human culture and history, I can't remember so many famous real and imaginary figures for other animals, only cartoon cats - I guess they hold on to second place in populatiry:)
Unknown said…
Let's not forget about comissioner Alex. You can watch him on TV. It is a police dog and it helps catch criminals. I like it because it is my brtoher's girlfriend's parents' dog. And we can't forget about the legendary dog Szarik from "Czterej pancerni i pies" which worked in a tank.
Unknown said…
1. Beethoven
2. Buddy
3. Marley
4. Lady and Tramp
5. Milo The Dalmatians

I can't remind myself more....
Unknown said…
There is a lot of famous dogs, but everybody already listed all of that I could think about...Or actually...Do you remember the animation "All dogs go to heaven" ? I loved this movie when I was a kid...Main character - Charlie - definitely deserves to be on our list. Another one is "Reksio" from our polish cartoon :) No doubt dogs always assisted people and were the best, the most committed companions of them.
Unknown said…
We can not forget about the dog "Szarik" who played in the film "4 pancerni i pies". Back to the topic of dogs. The dog is undoubtedly a friend of man. If it comes to me, I had dogs at home since birth. In our family it has always been, is and will be a dog. Now that I'm in college and I live with my girlfriend, we also have a dog :)
My very first thought was "Reksio", but I has been already mentioned by Agnieszka. I really liked to watch this cartoon as a child. Another very popular movie based on a novel written by Dodie Smith is "101 Dalmatians". There were also a game, tv series and musical based on the same novel.
Back to the topic, I like dogs, I always did. Unfortunately, I can not afford one, cause I leave in a flat and I'm often away from home for many hours.
Dajana Kubica said…
I did not know that the dogs are trained to show the source of sound to people with disabilities. I can not imagine life without a dog at my side. I think the saying - a dog is man's best friend - it is perfectly true. Thanks to animation "101 Dalmatians" my parents bought me a dog. Another film that had a huge impression on me as a child was the "Fluke". On the other hand, comedy with a dog as the main character is a K-9, which was cast with James Belushi. I love it!
Unknown said…
Wow, our list is even longer now :)
But I don't remember Buddy... Where he was mentioned, some movie?
Unknown said…
I'm not sure... Can you imagine telling Garfield that he is less popular in popculture than Odie? :)
Unknown said…
I believe that Alex was first a character in german TV show, and then polish television bought this series and made their own in polish reality. Alex is German Shepherd, right?
Unknown said…
I absolutely forgot about "All dogs go to heaven"! I have to watch this cartoon again :)
Yes, Reksio - I'm surprised that no one has mentioned him before :)
Unknown said…
That's great :D I really love idea of rising kids with dogs. You can read many articles about this, and in everyone of them you will find an anformation that this is a good idea.
Unknown said…
That's always sad if you want something, but you don't want to do it/take it, becasue it would be irresponsible. It means that you are a wise man. I believe that someday you will have possibility to have your own dog :)
Unknown said…
I have never heard about Fluke.
"K-9" made me laugh first time when I saw it :) It was another proof that German Shepherd is great species :)
Unknown said…
Dogs also help to cure diseases, there is known dog therapy which was firstly used in 1996 in Poland. I've heard of a labernese breed of a dog (mixed with two other breeds: Bernese Mountain Dog and Labrador) which is used in a treatment of autism people, helping them not only to prioritise stimulus from the outside world, but also to overcome disfunctional behaviour such as: impulsive running, Pica, auto stimulation, auto aggression, mood hesitations, waking up in the middle of night, holding back speech and society isolation. Incredible is the amount of good, which such known from ages animals could do for people.
Piotr Basiński said…
Dogs are very inteligent and faithful. Dogs that helps people are the most important ones from any other animals.
My list of all time dog favorites :)
1) K-9000 (police dog in one of old time movies)
2) Beethoven (I think I don't have to explain it to anyone)
3) Łajka (Space dog expedition that ended badly)
4) Hachi: A Dog's Tale (Really great movie based on real events)
5) Eight Below (Based on real events and for me nr 1 of dog breed "Alaskan malamute" - very sad story but If you will go to Norway you can travel a lot with their help).
http://www.itaka.pl/cz/norwegia/psie-zaprzegi-w-norwegii,TRDEXP1.html

And maybe out of category just a little bit but still :)
1) White Fang
Maciej Główka said…
Leslie and Beethoven are first names which comes to my mind. Dogs, that might be not mentioned by others are:
- Buck from "Married.. with Children", i think almost everyone heard about this sitcom, thanks to Polsat
- Samantha from "I am legend", its role in this movie was very important with very sad ending
Unknown said…
Great topic! :D I didn't know that there are so many types of assistance dogs. I'd love to have a dog, but I would have to take him to work that he isn't left alone. Unfortunately, employers still are not understanding in this matter. Last I saw on Instagram that in USA sometimes people have "office" pets. In my opinion it improves the atmosphere in the workplace when in the office comes a cheerful dog or cat. Of course, I'm not talking about make small ZOO in the office. From the little I always had a dog, and I think they are wonderful animals. Apart from the fact that they can be a help for the disabled, they are very loyal but people sometimes don't care about this. When it comes to popular culture, I love cartoons of Scooby Doo, when I was little I often watched them.
I love dogs! They are so loyal and it's so amazing. Especially when dogs wait at the door when they know you're coming home. That unconditional love is amazing. They dont care if you are rich, sick or homeless. They love you for who you are.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0LCQzMDwHA/VGDg6RLJXwI/AAAAAAABCgI/DPgxQ9c8iCc/s1600/i-dont-know-man-i-just-what-if-i-never-find-out-whos-a-good-boy.jpg

Unknown said…
Famous dog: Captain Rex :D

Thanks for sharing something new. It made me surprise that there are dogs who help deaf people. It would never come to my head. And that the Homer head a helping pet. It’s probably great to experience such an emotional bond with another creature, which never let you down, never.

I’m not a fan of hunting, but my grandfather had an English cocker spaniel. Archi was a great hunter. When we were going to hunt for ducks, our task was just to shoot ducks. And Archi was bringing them to us. He was always so happy by helping us. Feeling of being helpful - Archi was addicted to it.

You mentioned the psychiatric service dogs. Dogs are great for mentally healthy people as well. Studies show that kids who had pets grow up with a higher level of empathy. Animals teach us how to interact with other people. And stay your best friend in emotionally hard times.
Unknown said…
Yes, this is really amazing :) I can't imagine the moment, when somebody pointed at dog and said "Now you'll be guide of disabled people".
I'm full of admiration for people, who are trainging those dogs. It's really amazing. I was proud of myself when I taught my dog 4 commands, they are teaching dogs to save lifes - this is really amazing.
Unknown said…
Great list :)
You watched japanese or american version of Hashi's tale?
Unknown said…
I agree with you. As you mentioned them those dogs on the list seems obvoius :)
Unknown said…
I love Scooby Doo, even when I'm watching it now (with kids, of course ;)
In the topic of taking dogs to work, there are some. My sister's boyfriend is working in office and his bosses (marraige) are into helping dogs and they allow employees bring their dogs, they even encourage them to do it. Who knows, maybe someday it will be common thing?
Unknown said…
Few years back I thought that all of those words of rapturous about dogs where exaggerated, to the moment when I got my own dog :) Dogs, really, are magical creatures.
Unknown said…
I've met one Cocker Spaniel, named Cara Mia. She is lovely and she is definitely a lady. I can't imagine her running with dead duck in her mouth :)
Those dogs have got so many grace.
American version made in 2009 with Richard Gere.
Unknown said…
You wrote about Laika that "scientists were looking for a dog, which knew how it was to feel extremely hunger and cold and could survive it."

Actually, it's not true at all.

It's cruel but Laika was not expected to come back to the Earth. What's more, there was enough food for 10 days. After that they planned to give a poisoned food, but Laika was dead in about 7 hours after the satellite took off, because of high temperature and stress.
Moode said…
Dogs besides being human friends can also do so much good to us. They are not only used as a guides to the blind people, but also they can be trained to be therapists to both children and adults. They provide lots of comfort and calm.

They are also a great help for rescue and safety issues as they are able to find people captured under avalanche, destroyed and / or collapsed buildings and finding illegal weapons or drugs at the boarders.
kondrat said…
So, let's get the flamewar begin:
Dogs or Cats? 🔥
Andrzej Gulak said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
I'll always consider dogs as man's best friends, I had a dog myself when I was younger, and I'll always remember how happy I was back then :). It's great to see an article such as this, as I also consider dogs super useful, especially when it comes to specialized training such as helping blind people or firefighters.
There was a dog that played a role of Toto in a 1939 movie Wizard of Oz and was paid $125/week. Funny thing is that she was mentioned in credits as Toto not as Terry. After that the owner changed her name. There is even a memorial dedicated to her at Hollywood Forever Cementery in Los Angeles.
You are right! Laika died on the way into space due to overheating but USSR kept this information top secret for a long long time.
Other famous dog that I can think of is Snoopy (I think he was a dog, but I’m not 100% sure), but to be honest I can’t really remember anything about him except how he looks.
I really love the topic!!! I’m a dog person, and can’t really imagine world without them. They are amazingly loyal and loving creatures.
Unknown said…
Have you ever heard about Crusoe the Celebrity Daschund? This dog has over 1 200 000 followers on facebook and has been seen in one of the advertisement during the Super Bowl - the annual championship game. The commercial was released by Heinz Company which has over 7 mln views! So that is the proof that even an animal can be successful and iconic figure. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG3GQxyR4dw. Enjoy!
Another one is Goofy - Disney's character. It was always so weird for me that both Pluto and Goofy are basically same animals, yet one is talking and walking normally. What's more I remember Goofy referring to Pluto as a dog! What is he then? A werewolf? Anyone?
Michał Pycek said…
Responding to both the topic's question as well as the question about dogs and cats... :-)
I know:
Lessie, Reksio, Alex, Pluto, Chojrak, Szarik, Hachiko (the most owner-attached dog in the history! I recommend to watch the movie about this story, very moving...!)

Personally, I prefer dogs. First of all I have always had a dog, second of all I have an allergy on cats, so I wouldn't have a cat.

Unknown said…
I know that her come back wasn't planned, but I have read that they were looking for dog with such experiences.
Unknown said…
They are part of some therapies. For sure they are a part of therapy for people with autism.
Unknown said…
Movie about Hachiko was mentioned by Jakub Mańkowski :)
It really is a touching story. There are at least two movies about this dog - american and japanese.
Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
I really admmire people who are training those dogs. I was proud of myself when I taught my dog 4 commands :) and they? "Their" dogs can save lifes. This is really amazing.
Unknown said…
Convergent evolution between dogs and humans is an intresting topic to me. Dogs are the oldest domestic animals in the world; domesticated much earlier than horses, cats or goats (beetwen 12 and 30 thousands years ago). We've evolved together affecting each other.

I'm a dog person and I really like dogs.
Unknown said…
This is a great name for our list :)
Unknown said…
They are :) Even if they destroy something you can't be mad at those big sad eyes :)
Unknown said…
No, I have never heard of him, but now I'm going to look for some more informations :)
Unknown said…
They are both dogs, even similar to each other, but I neither don't understand this :)
Unknown said…
Chojrak! Such amazing dog, and you mentioned it as a first perosn :) I loved this cartoon. I was both - fascinated and afraid of it.
Unknown said…
I thought I was a cat person, and then I got a dog :)
Kacper Zaremba said…
You really surprised me with those medical help dogs. I have never heard of them and I am admiring the wisdom and skills of those dogs. Personally, I think that there is nothing better than a happy dog welcoming you home after a long day :)
Unknown said…
I do have a terrier (he's a Westie) but can't really imagine him chasing a boar. Supposedly Westies were used to hunt badgers, otters and foxes, and their distinctive tail was used for pulling them out of foxholes in case they got stuck. My dog limits itself to hunting for cookies left on the table.

An interesting read, it's worth adding that you're not supposed to pet guide dogs, especially without permission as it interrupts their job.

One famous dog was Hachiko. Hachinko was an akita living in Japan who escorted his master to work and waited for his return on Shibuya train station every day. When his master Hidesaburō Ueno who taught at the university died at work, Hachinko kept coming back to the station every day for the next 10 years. He was present at the opening of his own statue in 1934 and kept returning there until he died. A year ago at the University of Tokyo a new statue was placed, one that reunited Hachiko with his master.

http://en.japantravel.com/tokyo/hachiko-statue-university-of-tokyo/20013
Dogs are the most lovely animals on this planet! :D
They are always loyal and it is great feeling when they welcome you when you return to home. :)
I have a lot of dogs and for me they are great companions that make you want to live for! :D
The first dog that comes to my mind is Szarik from "Czterech pancernych i pies". I think he is the most famous dog in Poland. Now the famous one is Alex from "Komisarz Alex" TV series. Another famous ones are Lessie, Barry, Balto and Dżok from Cracow(also Polish legend). I love dogs and I can say that I'm a dog person. I used to not be but my girlfriend has 3 dogs and I love them all. Since they live with me I have started to train them with snacks and this clicker device. And it's going pretty good for now. I think dogs are very smart and loyal and they really are the man's best friend. I really do, now.
KamilG said…

I can't remember famous dogs not listed in previous comments, but I would like to mention about Kabang - the dog which saved two
grils losing all its nose and upper jaw. It's another true story about dog's love. Here is link about its: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabang
I instantly thought about Laika and Szarik when I read the title of the post. Dogs are fun, but I'm not really a huge pet lover. I enjoy traveling to much and being as much independent as I can, so I don't think I could take care of any living thing in a reasonable way in the moment.
Unknown said…
Dog is very friendly and loyalty friends of every human. They will always wait for you and make you happy even in the bad day of your life. But dog its also a big responsibility beacuse we need to feed them and go outside to give them chance to walk with other dogs every day. I have 8-years old dog and im very happy even when i need to go with her outside on -10 Celsius degree

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