Friday, January 20, 2017

Remarkable Instance of Affection and Sagacity in a Dog 1822

Remarkable Instance of Affection and Sagacity in a Dog, from A Thousand Notable Things, or a Rich Cabinet of Select Curiosities 1822

—The body of Thomas Rutherford was found under the following peculiar circumstances. It appears he had left Alnwick on his road to Rothbury, late in the evening, accompanied by his dog, and had proceeded nearly seven miles, then about eleven o'clock, when he became exhausted by struggling with the deepness of the snow, and the impetuosity of the storm; during the last half mile he had often fallen from weakness, and wished the support of the guide post, which he was nearly at, until he could recover to proceed to Rimpside Moor house inn for the night, not a quarter of a mile distant. He again fell within a few yards of the post, could rise no more, and soon became insensible. In this state he was exposed to all the horrors of the night, till seven o'clock the following morning. His faithful dog, observing on a distant height the shepherd of the farm, used every means to bring him to the aid of his unfortunate master. The dog's pitiful howlings, and importunate solicitude for one spot, which he often left and returned to, with apparently the most poignant signs of grief and distress, induced the shepherd to follow the motions of this sagacious animal. The body being entirely covered with snow, he could discover no cause for such singular behaviour. The dog, steady to his grateful purpose, scratched near the body, which was then found, and conveyed to the inn, in a state that precluded any hope for his recovery, as scarcely any symptom of animation remained. Medical aid was however procured, and after five hours exertion by the humane host and finally life gradually returned, and we are happy to state he reached his house on the following day completely recovered.


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