Working Dogs - Dogs in Harness
Dogs have traditionally pulled carts in several northern European countries. Bernese Mountain Dogs hauled loads of dairy produce or baskets to market; similar dogs delivered milk in Belgium and flowers in Holland. Not in France, however, for the idea caused such outrage among the dog-loving French that it was forbidden by law by 1824.
As a nation of gourmets though, the French have always been happy to profit from the skills of the dogs who sniff for truffles, ‘the diamonds of cooking�. Even Louis XV amused himself by searching for these delicacies with a team of specially, trained dogs. Truffle dogs are still used, but other specialised working breeds became extinct when there was no longer any demand for their services, e.g. medieval dogs that drew water from wells and turned spits for roasting meat. The work of the turnspit dog was hard and very hot; it took a long time for a large joint to cook so the bandy-legged little creatures had to run round their treadmill for many hours at a time. Most large houses or castles had two dogs working on alternate days. Each dog had his day (probably the origin of this famous old saying) and he always knew which it was. Slightly less arduous must have been the lot of the Tibetan breeds who were said to have turned prayer wheels in many monasteries in their native land.