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August 26 is Dog Day: it will be true celebration when we can hold the gaze of animals without being ashamed of the crimes perpetrated against them.
Dog Day was established in America in 2004 and is celebrated on August 26 worldwide.
An initiative that should mainly prompt humans to reflect on their relationship with the most beloved four-legged animal ever.
August 26 was chosen as a symbolic date because it is the day when the famous American pet expert Colleen Paige, adopted her first dog named Sheltie when she was a child.
Colleen Page is known for her efforts in campaigns to raise awareness and encourage adoption of dogs and cats.
National Dog Day, thanks in part to the support of animal welfare organizations, has since spread around the world to celebrate man’s best friend.
The dog: man’s friend and companion since the earliest times and not only on the day dedicated to him
The ultimate four-legged friend has accompanied man for centuries.
The special and unbreakable relationship between humans and dogs knows no limits of time or space.
History bears witness to this.
Dog Day: curiosities from the world, myths and legends
Over time, legends, tales and myths have come to be created in different places on the planet.
Some stories are fanciful, some are magical, some are even loaded with dark elements, but all, for better or worse, tell of an unconditional bond between man and his faithful friend.
Let us discover together some of the most famous ones.
The legend of the dog and the man
This legend describes a time when all beings lived together.
One day God told all the creatures that the time had come to separate; so cracks opened in the ground and all the animals began to divide into different groups according to the cracks in the ground.
The dog, seeing the man in the detached sod next to his, jumped to catch up with him, risking his life.
He did not hesitate for a moment as he regarded the man as the best of his friends and wished to be close to him at all costs.
From then on, the emotional bond between these two beings became unbreakable.
The black dog of the Basque Country
This legend comes from the Spanish municipality Berriz Vizcaya.
It tells of the superficiality of a man who, while handing out invitations for his wedding, enjoyed kicking a skull he accidentally found on the ground near the cemetery.
As if that were not enough, the man also playfully invited the skull to his wedding, scheduled for the following day.
On the way home, the man was confronted by a black dog with a particularly menacing look.
Therefore, he decided to tell his mother what had just happened, and she advised him to talk to a priest.
The latter urged him to invite the dog to the wedding and to treat it as the most important guest by having it eat first at the banquet, and so he did.
The dog, having finished his meal, opened his mouth and told the groom that he had done well to follow the priest’s advice.
If he had not done so, he would have suffered the consequences of the disrespectful act committed the day before toward the bones of his deceased human, to whom the skull belonged.
After saying this the dog walked away peacefully.
Since that time, in the Basque Country of Spain, dogs are said to share the journey of life with their humans even after their humans have died, and in this case they undertake to be the guardians of their bones.
From Latin America comes the Xoloitzcuintle
The Xoloitzcuintle is a typical Central American dog breed.
It was named after Xolotl, a deity who, according to Toltec and Aztec mythology, helped the deceased on their long journey to “Mictlan” or the afterlife.
A kind of gift given by God to humans to better cope with the moment of death.
Fairies and their little four-legged friends
Another bizarre legend concerns the Welsh Corgi Pembroke, a very clever and curious small dog with its characteristic fox head and small paws.
This is a legend born in Wales that describes these highly intelligent and friendly four-legged friends as great friends of fairies.
These were described and depicted often on top of wagons pulled by this variety of dogs or while riding them to move through the woods.
In the house of the tragic poet in Pompeii you find it written at the entrance, “Cave canem”
Cave canem
literally means “Beware of the dog” and is found in a famous mosaic found in the archaeological excavations in Pompeii, on the entrance floor of the House of the Tragic Poet.
The warning was written at the entrance to the homes to warn that a potentially dangerous dog was inside.
The signs we find hanging on the gates and in the doors of many homes that say, “Beware of Dog,” thus have a very ancient origin.
Man, dog and all animals: a dedicated day is not enough
Dog Day should be an opportunity for us to reflect on the immense good fortune we have in sharing our lives every day with a four-legged friend.
Yet, even today, man’s brutal abuse of all animals is all too evident: mistreatment, killing, poisoning, and abandonment are the order of the day.
The mirror, this, of a backward and still anthropocentric culture that is struggling to evolve and recognize rights on par with humans even for nonhuman individuals.
It will be true celebration when humans can sustain the gaze of a dog without being ashamed of the crimes perpetrated against it and against all animals in general.
Please note that our staff doctors are also always available for consultation and advice on the proper management of your four-legged friend.
And again, keep in mind that in case of need and urgency Clinica La Veterinaria is always open h24 every day including holidays and with First Aid service from 8 pm to 8 am.
For the joy of seeing them HAPPY
