by Bibek Debroy
A dog managed to get a piece of meat and was taking it home so that he could eat it in peace. He was carrying the meat in his mouth. On the way, there was a stream that had to be crossed over a plank, being used as a bridge. While crossing, the dog looked down and saw his reflection in the stream. He thought this was another dog with another piece of meat and thought he might as well grab this second piece also. He tried to snap at this second dog. But in the process, as soon as he opened his mouth, he lost his piece of meat as it fell into the water.
Story 9: The dog and the wolf
A wolf was dying of hunger and starvation. He was thin and lean. The wolf ran into a pet dog who lived in a house. ‘Cousin, this life will get you nowhere,’ the dog told the wolf. ‘You will die of starvation. Why not have a proper job like I do? Then food will always be given to you.’
‘I wouldn’t mind,’ replied the wolf. ‘But I don’t know how to go about getting a job.’
‘That’s not a problem,’ retorted the dog. ‘Come to my master with me. If nothing else, we will share my work.’
The dog and the wolf headed for the town together. On the way, the wolf noticed the hair on the dog’s neck. It was worn away. ‘What is this?’ he asked.
‘That’s nothing,’ replied the dog. ‘That’s the place where I have to wear a collar at night for the chain. It hurts a bit. But you will soon get used to it.’
‘I see,’ said the wolf. ‘No thank you and bye-bye.’
Story 10: The dog in the manger
Mangers are meant for cows. A dog was looking for a place where he could spend the afternoon sleeping. He jumped into a manger and began to sleep in the straw. The ox had gone to work in the afternoon. Returning from work, he came to the manger and wanted to eat some straw. But the dog was angry at having been woken from his sleep. He stood up and barked at the ox, not allowing him to come near the straw. Finally, the ox gave up and went away, remarking, ‘People grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves.’
Story 11: The dog’s house
It was winter and a dog was curled up in a very small space, because it was so cold. He resolved that he would make himself a house. But, later, it was summer. The dog stretched himself out because of the heat. ‘I am too big,’ he thought. ‘It isn’t going to be easy to build a house for myself. Nor is it necessary.’
Story 12: The dog, the cock and the fox
A dog and a cock were great friends. They decided they would travel together. When it was night, they had to look for shelter in a thick wood. The cock flew up and found the branch of a tree he could perch on. The dog found a hollow trunk and made himself a bed there. When it was morning, the cock woke up and began to crow very loudly, as cocks are supposed to do. A fox heard the sound and thought he would make a meal of the cock. He approached the tree and told the cock, ‘I want to meet someone who has such a beautiful voice. Why don’t you come down or let me come up?’ he said. ‘Fine,’ replied the cock. ‘There is a hollow trunk there. Will you please go there and wake up my porter? He will open the door and allow you to come up.’ When he tried to do this, the fox confronted the dog. The dog grabbed the fox by the neck and killed him.
Story 13: The dogs and the fox
Some dogs found a lion’s skin and began to tear it to pieces with their teeth. A fox saw this and said, ‘Be grateful that the lion isn’t alive. Had he been alive, you would have discovered that a lion’s claws are sharper than your teeth.’
Story 14: The dogs and the skins
Some dogs were very hungry. They saw some cowhides floating by along a river. But they were not sure how they could reach these skins. They resolved they would drink up the river so that they could reach the skins. But having attempted to do this, they burst their stomachs open long before they managed to reach the skins.
Story 15: The fox, the cock and the dog
It was a moonlit night. A fox was prowling around a farm, especially near the coop where hens are kept. He saw a cock roosting high up, way beyond the fox’s reach.
‘Good news, wonderful news,’ cried the fox.
‘What is the wonderful news?’ asked the cock.
‘The lion, the king of the beasts, has declared a truce,’ said the fox. ‘No animal is from now on allowed to hurt a bird. We must live together like brothers.’
‘That is truly good news,’ retorted the cock. ‘But I see that there is someone coming. We must share the good news with him.’ He craned his neck and looked far away.
‘What do you see?’ asked the fox. ‘Who is coming?’
‘It is my master’s dog,’ answered the cock. ‘Wait, why are you going away?’ On hearing this, the fox had begun to slink away. ‘Won’t you wait and tell the dog this news about brotherly peace?’
‘I would have happily done so,’ said the fox. ‘But I am worried that the dog may not have heard this good news. Or the lion’s order.’
Story 16: The bitten man and the dog (version 1)
A man was bitten by a dog. He was told that the wound would heal if he dipped a piece of bread in the blood from the wound and gave it to the dog. This is what he tried to do.
‘No,’ said the dog. ‘If I accept this bread, people will think that I had the wrong motive in biting you. I didn’t bite you to get the bread.’
‘Why did you bite me?’ asked the man. ‘What was your motive?’
‘No motive other than following the laws of nature,’ answered the dog.
Story 17: The bitten man and the dog (version 2)
A man was bitten by a dog. He went around looking for someone who might have a cure for the bite. He soon met a friend. ‘I know how you can be cured,’ said the friend. ‘Take a piece of bread and dip it in blood from the wound. Then feed the bread to the dog that bit you.’
The man who was bitten laughed at this advice. ‘Are you crazy?’ he said. ‘That’s like begging all the dogs in the town to come and bite me.’
Story 18: The man, the horse, the ox and the dog
It was very cold and a horse, an ox and a dog were suffering from it. They sought a man’s protection.
The man agreed. He lit a fire and warmed them up. Then he fed the horse some oats, the ox some hay and gave the dog meat from his own table. The animals were grateful and resolved to repay the debt. Each animal had some qualities and each gave these to a part of the man’s life.
The horse chose the first years of a man’s life and gave man’s youth impetuosity, headstrongness and obstinacy. The ox picked the middle years of a man’s life. The qualities the ox gave were fondness for work and the resolve to amass wealth and conserve resources. The dog picked the last years of a man’s life. That is when men are irritable and difficult to please. They are selfish and intolerant. They snap at everyone and hate strangers. They hate all those who do not offer them comfort.
Story 19: The starving man and his dogs
There was a storm and a man was held up in his country home. To maintain the household and feed himself, the man first killed his sheep. The storm continued and he killed his goats. The storm continued and he killed his oxen.
Seeing this, the dogs got together and began to discuss the situation among themselves. ‘We had better run away,’ they said. ‘He didn’t spare his oxen, even though they worked for him. What can we expect?’
Story 20: The dog and the bell
A dog was always up to mischief. He would snap at the heels of everyone he met and bite them when they were not noticing. His master decided to take precautions. He tied a bell around the dog’s neck so that people would know he was coming. The dog thought this was some kind of prize. He was so proud that he wandered around the market square, tinkling his bell.
One day, an old dog noticed this. ‘Why are you making such a fool of yourself?’ he asked. ‘The bell that you are wearing is not a prize. Instead, it is a sign of disgrace. It is like a public notice so that people know that you are ill-mannered and not to be trusted.’
Story 21: The old dog
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bsp; A dog had grown old. In his youth, when he had his strength, no forest beast had been able to stand up to him.
But now, this hunting dog was old and one day he ran into a boar and gave chase. He grabbed the boar by the ear. But the dog’s teeth had worn away and he could not maintain his hold. The boar ran away. The dog’s master turned up, disappointed at this escape. He began to beat the dog.
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ the dog told his master. ‘My spirit is what it always was, but my flesh is weak. I can’t help this. Praise me for what I was. Don’t blame me for what I am now.’
Story 22: The shepherd and the dog
A shepherd was preparing for the night, getting the sheep into the pen. By mistake, he was about to shut up a wolf with the sheep.
The shepherd’s dog saw this and said, ‘Master, how do you expect the sheep to be safe if you shut up a wolf with the sheep?’
Story 23: The thief and the watchdog
One night, a thief broke into a house. He brought several slices of meat so that the watchdog would keep quiet and not wake the household up by his barking.
When the thief threw the pieces of meat at him, the watchdog said, ‘You are making a mistake if you think that this will stop my barking. It will only make me more alert. Unexpected kindness means that you have some ulterior motive and wish to injure my master through your selfish interests.’
Story 24: The traveller and his dog
A traveller was about to begin his journey. He saw his dog standing at the door, stretching himself.
‘Who are you staring at?’ asked the traveller. ‘Everything is ready and we are all waiting for you. Come with me this minute.’
The dog wagged his tail and replied, ‘Master, I have always been ready. I am waiting for you.’
Story 25: The two dogs
A man had two dogs. The first was a hunting dog, trained to assist the master in hunting. The second was a watchdog, trained to guard the house.
When the man returned home after hunting, he always gave a big share to the watchdog. The hunting dog was relatively neglected.
The hunting dog complained to the watchdog, ‘This isn’t fair. I do all the work and get little. And you, who do nothing for the hunting, benefit from my labour.’
‘My friend, don’t blame me,’ said the watchdog. ‘Blame the master. He has taught me that I needn’t work. He has taught me that I can depend on others for food.’
Story 26: The wolf and the watch-dog
A wolf met a huge watchdog. The watchdog had a wooden collar around his neck.
‘Who feeds you, that you are huge?’ asked the wolf. ‘And who has given you that heavy load around your neck?’
‘My master,’ replied the watchdog.
‘I wish that no friend of mine ever comes to this state,’ responded the wolf. ‘The weight of this collar and chain will spoil the appetite.’
Story 27: The wolves and the sheep
‘Why should we quarrel among ourselves?’ the wolves told the sheep. ‘This unpleasantness is being caused by those dogs. Get rid of them and we will live in peace.’
‘You seem to think it is easy to get rid of those dogs,’ responded the sheep. ‘Have you found it easy to get rid of them?’
Story 28: The wolves and the sheepdogs
‘You are very similar to us,’ the wolves told the sheepdogs. ‘Why shouldn’t you live with us like brothers? There is only one difference between you and us. We are free. You bow down and work for men. In turn, they whip you for services rendered and they put collars around your necks. They make you guard the sheep. But they eat the mutton and throw you some scraps. Give us the sheep. We will share them and have a great feast.’
The dogs listened and pretended to be interested. Enjoying the trust, they entered the wolves den and killed all the wolves.
Story 29: The ass and the pet dog
A man had an ass and a pet dog from Malta that was very beautiful.
The ass stayed in the stable and got oats and hay to eat. The dog knew many tricks and was the master’s favourite. The master played with the dog and whenever he went out to dinner, brought back little bits of food for the dog. But the ass had to work, carrying wood home from the forest or burdens on the farm. The ass also had to work in the mill, grinding corn. The ass thought this was very unfair, that the dog lived a life of idleness with no work to do.
One day, the ass broke away from his tether and dashed into the house. He tried to jump up into the master’s lap, playing as he had seen the dog do. He tried to lick the man and jump on his back. In the process, the table broke and the dishes arranged on the table also broke. The servants drove the ass back to the stable and the ass kept lamenting that he should not have tried to behave like the pet dog.
The Grimm Brothers (Jacob Ludwick Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm) collected many children’s and household tales and in their collection, there is a story about a dog and a sparrow. Here is the story.
There was a sheepdog that was not treated well by its master. Instead, the dog did not receive enough food and went hungry. Suffering from hunger, the sheepdog decided to leave his master. Along the road, the sheepdog met a sparrow and narrated the story of his hunger to the sparrow. ‘Brother, come with me to the town and we will get you some food,’ said the sparrow. In the town, they went to a butcher’s shop and the sparrow tugged at a piece of meat until it fell down on the ground. The dog ate the meat and from another shop, the sparrow got the dog another piece of meat. But the dog still had not had any bread. So the sparrow and the dog went to a baker’s shop and the dog got some bread in similar fashion. From another baker’s shop, the dog got a bun. Hunger satisfied, the dog and the sparrow began to walk along the highway. But it was warm and the dog decided to sleep. While the dog slept on the road, the sparrow sat on a branch. Along came a wagonner, driving a cart with three horses, the cart being laden with two barrels of wine. ‘Take care, wagonner,’ said the sparrow. ‘Don’t drive over the dog, otherwise I will make you poor.’ The wagonner paid no attention to the sparrow. He drove over the dog and killed it.
The sparrow was determined to have revenge. He got inside the cart and pecked at one of the barrels of wine, until there was a hole in it. Out dripped the wine. ‘How unlucky I am,’ remarked the wagonner. ‘The wine is dripping away.’ But the sparrow was not satisfied. He flew on the head of one of the horses and pecked the horse’s eyes out. The wagonner saw what the sparrow was doing. He took out his axe and took a swipe at the sparrow. But missing the sparrow, the wagonner hit his horse on the head and killed it. ‘How unlucky I am,’ remarked the wagonner. But the sparrow was not satisfied. He pecked a hole in the second barrel of wine also. Next, he pecked out the eyes of the second horse. And when the wagonner took another swipe with his axe, he killed the second horse also. And yet again, so the third horse was also killed.
In frustration, the wagonner left his cart there and decided to go home. But the sparrow followed him home. ‘How unlucky I am,’ the wagonner told his wife. ‘I have lost my wine and my horses.’ But it became worse. Because the sparrow collected some other birds and, together, they began to eat up all the corn the wagonner and his wife had. The wagonner went upstairs to the loft and discovered the havoc the sparrow and the other birds were creating. Next, the wagonner went downstairs to the kitchen and began to weep. But the sparrow came back and began to tease the wagonner. The wagonner took a swipe at the sparrow with his axe, but only shattered a window. And so it went on. The stove was demolished and the walls of the house.
Finally, the wagonner caught the sparrow. He thought that killing it with an axe would be too merciful. Therefore, he swallowed the sparrow. But the sparrow flutterred about inside, in the wagonner’s mouth and head. The wagonner gave the axe to his wife and asked her to kill the sparrow. When she tried to do this, she only managed to kill the wagonner. With the head cleft open, the sparrow was free and flew away.
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales have the familiar tinder
box story. The tin soldier met a witch and the witch told the tin soldier about three doors. Inside the first door, there was a chest with a big dog sitting on the box. His eyes were as large as tea-cups. Once this dog was pacified, the tin soldier would obtain copper coins from the box. Inside the second door, there was a chest with another big dog sitting on the box. His eyes were as large as mill-wheels. Once this dog was pacified, the tin soldier would obtain silver coins from the box. Inside the third door, there was a chest with another big dog sitting on the box. His eyes were as large as round towers. Once this dog was pacified, the tin soldier would obtain gold coins from the box.
Perhaps the Roman legacy of love for dogs provided the seed for the British love for dogs. After the Roman empire collapsed, dogs did not exactly figure in literature. For a while, it was not in any case quite clear what one would mean by literature. But Geoffrey Chaucer’s (1343–1400) world was populated by dogs. Take the “Nun’s Priest’s Tale”, when all the inhabitants in the yard go after the fox. ‘And then they cried, “Alas, and weladay! Oh, oh, the fox!” and after him they ran, And after them, with staves, went many a man; Ran Coll, our dog, ran Talbot and Garland, And Malkin with a distaff in her hand; Ran cow and calf and even the very hogs, So were they scared by barking of the dogs/ And shouting men and women all did make, They all ran so they thought their hearts would break.’ The Prioress of Canterbury Tales had little lapdogs and she was unhappy if they were treated badly. ‘She had some little dogs, too, that she fed/ On roasted flesh, or milk and fine white bread. But sore she’d weep if one of them were dead, Or if men smote it with a rod to smart.’ In the “Knight’s Tale”, we are told that Credon of Thebes left dead bodies to be devoured by dogs as a mark of disrespect. This was also the time when greyhounds were prized and were bred by the clergy for the nobility. The monk in Canterbury Tales spent a lot of money on his greyhounds. ‘Greyhounds he hadde as swifte as fowel in flight; Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare/ Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.’ The “Knight’s Tale” waxes eloquent about the Alaunt. ‘About his char ther wenten white Alaunts/ Twenty and mo, as gret as any stere To hunten at the leon ore the dere.’ Chaucer talked about the size, strength and courage of alaunts, used in hunting bears and lions. These alaunts were nothing but mastiffs, the word deriving from Italian and French and referring to the Alani or people of Albania, known for breeding mastiffs.
