By foto, saturnine & melancholic President Lincoln wears the weight of the world upon his towering shoulders, his crystal-blue eyes stare fixedly into thoughts we cannot mine. Yet, regardless of our beliefs as regards the truth of the Civil War & Lincoln's involvement in same, he was a deeply feeling man & very obviously, a good man. It was his love of animals that perhaps brought him the cardinal directions one needs when one is thrust into the tumult, double-dealing, contrived & otherwise tricky politicks that became his world when he was nominated to the presidency. That he already had a chaotic personal life, thanks in no small part to Mary Lincoln, is a known. It is then particularly moving that Lincoln elected to keep Fido ("faithful" in The Latin)...his fine yellow dog & constant companion, out of the chaos & clamor of Washington, DC.

    Fido joined the Lincoln family in 1855-ish at a time in history when dogs were not kept as pets...they were instead considered a luxury. Bourgeoisie.  The population of Springfield, IL was 5,100 people in 1850...& this was with the Sagamon & Morgan Railroads increasing movement of goods (the agricultural community of Springfield exported 100,000 bushels of wheat, 350,000 bushels of rye and oats, 3,300,000 bushels of corn, 120,000 pounds of wool, and more than 120,000 hogs in 1850 alone). 

    Fido's social life & mind-set involved following Abraham Lincoln & his sons on their daily rounds, often jumping up on people in the streets & greeting them with his muddy paws. He had his routine & this was taken into account...it was thus with heavy hearts that the beloved companion of the Lincoln family went to live with the president's childhood friend John Rolls Sr. (John Roll's son John Jr., was a friend in kind to the Lincoln boys) for the tenure of the Lincoln presidency. Accompanying Fido, was  Fido's favourite horsehair sofa & a specific set of rules, namely: never to scold Fido for entering the house with muddy paws & never to tie him up alone in the backyard. In addition, Fido was to be allowed into the Roll home whenever he scratched at the front door and into the Rolls' dining room at mealtimes, as he was accustomed to being given food from the Lincoln table.
   
  In a letter dated 12/27/1863 "Billy the Barber"- (William Florville/Fleurville)-the president's barber in Springfield, writes to Lincoln: ​“Tell Taddy that his Dog is alive and kicking doing well. He stays mostly at John E. Rolls with his boys who are about the size now that Tad & Willy were when they left for Washington.” 

    Following the assassination of Lincoln, fotografer F.W. Ingmire took fotos of Fido for posterity perhaps...in addition, fotos of Lincolns favourite horse (called "Bob"/"Old Bob"/"Robbins"/"Bobbins")...were taken in full mourning attire. These cabinet cards were sold at the time as mementos mori. (see fotos below)...

    Sadly, Fido too was assassinated in 1866. John Roll recounted the story of Fido’s death: ”One day the dog, in a playful manner, put his dirty paws upon a drunken man sitting on the street curbing [who] in his drunken rage, thrust a knife into the body of poor old Fido. He was buried by loving hands." The "drunken man" was Charlie E. Planck(age 24)- a local grocer's son, known to indulge in "intoxicating beverage".

     An 1893 account from the Illinois Journal reveals a different moment altogether: "He (Fido) was exceedingly friendly and had a habit of showing his congeniality by depositing his muddy yellow fore paws plump on the breast of any one who addressed him familiarly. His excessive friendliness eventually caused his death in a very unique way, in that Fido suffered the fate of his master – assassination. The dog, which was a yellow fellow of moderate size, ran against Charlie Plan(c)k, who was whittling a stick with a sharp, long bladed knife. By an accidental move while the dog was expressing himself in caresses the blade was buried deep in his body. He shot out the door like a flash and was never seen again alive. His body was found about a month afterwards where he had lain down to die behind the chimney of the old Universalist church."

    Planck's own resume is quite exceptional: he volunteered for Civil War service; was a member of Company G of the 114th Illinois Infantry Regiment over the rank's entire existence – (summer 1862 to spring 1865) & rose to the rank of corporal. Included in the 114th’s record were the battles of Nashville and Brice’s Crossroads.

    Was Planck a drunken, dog-stabbing hothead? I don't think so...I think, in fact, that the following account reveals his nature per the times: Planck was involved in an argument with one Peter Burns at 4th and Washington streets on March 5th, 1868  The dispute ended, according to the Illinois Journal, when “Planck drew a revolver loaded with small shot, and fired, wounding Burns slightly in the shoulder.” On March 6th (the day after the fight), Burns was fined $3 “for using language to Charles Planck, calculated to provoke a breach of the peace.” (Burns had a violent record. The same day he was fined for instigating the shooting; was fined another $20 for assaulting Josephine Howard, and a third case against him, for assaulting Mary Ward, was carried over. Later that spring, Burns was accused of assault with intent to kill, although that charge was dismissed.)...

    When Planck appeared in court March 10, he was ordered merely to “give $500 bonds to keep the peace, and was released from arrest,” the Journal reported. He apparently faced no other penalty.

    Sometime in the 1870s, Planck and his wife Hattie (they had married in 1867) moved to Michigan, where Planck worked as a clerk and “expressman.” He died on March 21, 1917, at the Grand Rapids Veterans Home, where he is buried.

    Back to the fotos of Fido! You thought the story would end here???? Scroll past the slideshow....

I've provided the FCI standard...

Charcoal biscuits are soooo profoundly important to have on-hand in the event of: upset tummy, stings, poison, vaccination, flea treatment, post surgery,  breaking a fast...etc.. They are every kennelwoman's secret. Not anymore! I acquire mine from Amazon. 

National Dog Show: NBC/Thursday...Nov. 26th...tune into your local station for  scheduling...

 Nov. 15 1887-Mar. 6, 1986)
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum-click here;
​O'Keeffe at The Met-click here;
Ghost Ranch-click here;

Enjoy the below history on the Goldens!

Other antique gold-coloured retrievers...some Guisachan ...

And...not to rain on your parade but...

This is most certainly a "devolution"...lets look at foto 1: we have a dog with tremendous bone & scope, lots of leg...with a nice pastern...the feet are not delicate-they are built for business. The dog is well off the ground, the spring of rib is moderate, the stifle to gaskin angulation is moderate...notably, the back-skull has breadth with moderate, gently sloping stop which radiates to a backskull which is not shaped like a helmet (the theme is moderation)! In truth, the dog has a geometry about it...foto 2: same thing: nice feet with breadth, well knuckled up...slightly turned out for increased traction. The scapular angulation is suited for function, the dog remains well off the ground. By 1930, there were many Goldens around & a fixed type had occurred after much judicious development. foto 3: same thing: the head remains true to form...nothing has been lost...the sacred geometry of the dog remains & one could crawl underneath it-it is well off the ground-(probably because everyone was still using their dogs in the manner for which they were bred). foto 4: length of leg has been HALVED in front...the hocks, stifle & gaskin in the rear-structure appear anatomically bewildered (over angulated)...the back-skull appears "domed" with the stop of the nose being more pronounced & the muzzle shorter. This results in a completely different bite as regards field work...specifically, retrieving... foto 5: the rear legs have begun to sickle-look at the scythe-like stifle angles-where once the elbows were free from the barrel...now they are flush against it...which has changed the chest completely...it is now protuberant. The dog, as a whole, is much lower to the ground. We see the domey, juvenile skull & pronounced stop of the modern Golden head...foto 6: a modern Golden.
Have they evolved or devolved? I suppose tis a matter of the beholder.
As these are merely my opinions, please take no offense...

Among them: Mexican Hairless; Russian Yellow Retriever; Lapland Sheepdog; Iceland Dog; Finnish Pom; Russian Owtchar; Loads of stunning French hounds with the initials of the kennel/owner clipped in to the side of the dog for ID; Bordeaux; Rampur Greyhound; Barb (Kelpie); Banshar...& so many others...

Moist weather, humidity, cold, heat, diet, stress, thyroid, hormones, weighty ear leathers, extra winter hair-weight on ears etc. all play out within the pink labyrinth of the ear canal like a scene from Hamlet.

 I used to see ear problems on a daily basis in my dog grooming shop...& I'd suggest (hypothetically & not in lieu of medical advice from a licensed veterinarian) Gold Bond Medicated Foot Powder (the gold coloured container only). This affordable powder is loaded with zinc & salicylic acid, truly the bee's knees for wiping out typical yucky bacteria/fungi/yeast (ingredients: active ingredient - Menthol 0.15% - Purpose - Anti-itch. Inactive Ingredients talc, zinc oxide, acacia senegal gum, eucalyptol, methyl salicylate, salicylic acid, thymol, zinc stearate (309-004).

​Cosmetic-grade Boric acid also works nicely...
​
Being that I'm currently out of Gold Bond & Boric Acid...I thought I'd share another option:

Penaten rocks it in the zinc department & is known & loved all over Europe as the perfect baby-bum salve. In any event, please know that zinc can kill your dog! Use extreme caution & ultra-extreme prudence when considering the application of Gold Bond & any other zinc-laden product...they work beautifully...but...if your dog can lick the zinc-zone...fuhgettaboutit. This means, please don't apply zinc-based salves & powders to doggy lip-folds...doggy undercarriage, foot pads, etc.

MY ADVICE IS NEVER INTENDED TO BE TAKEN AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN FLIM-FLAM. Please always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian when your dog needs assessment.

On the subject of zinc...did you know that the mere ingestion of one penny can kill your dog?
Pennies contain 98.5% zinc...they're merely coated in copper...

160 lbs. of fit, beautiful, archaic, unspoilt, discerning, planning, thinking, being, mature Anatolian, guarding his domain in November 2020. Thanks Safir!

     After the Czar's abdication, the family was held somewhat politely, yet imprisoned, in a compound in the Russian settlement of Tobolsk. On November 23, 1917, Olga wrote from Tobolsk (Western Siberia), in a letter to Pyotr Petrov:..."Papa usually saws and stacks firewood, while Mama goes out when it is not too cold, otherwise it's difficult for her to breathe. Joy, Ortino and Jimmy are flourishing. We have to spend the whole day chasing the first two out of the yard, where they have a wonderful time in the rubbish tip and eat all sorts of filth."

  The dogs accompanied the royal family on their last journey to Yekaterinburg. On 27th April 1918, the Bolsheviks ordered Nickolai Ipatiev to vacate his home (called Ipatiev Mansion) within two days, as it was going to be utilised as housing for the Imperial family, who were being transferred from Tobolsk. As can be seen in the photograph above, Ipatiev was a glorifed prison...with a high, doubled wooden fence...the scale of which is extraordinary...machine guns were purported to be in the attics & upper storeys of neighbouring buildings. A single gate- heavily guarded & two security posts inside, with eight outside, completed the detail of the Romanov's unfortunate domain. Prior to the the Romanov children's move to Ekaterinburg, Olga writes to Anya Virobuva in May 1918:..."Darling, I take the first opportunity to write you the latest news we have had from ours in Ekaterinburg [where her parents and Maria Nikolaievna had already gone]. They wrote on the 23rd of April that the journey over the rough roads was terrible, but that in spite of great weariness they are well. They live in three rooms and eat the same food as the soldiers. The little one is better but is still in bed. As soon as he is well enough to be moved we shall join them. We have had letters from Zina but none from Lili [Dehn, family friends]. Have Alya [Ania's sister] and your brother written? The weather has become milder, the ice is out of the river Irtysh, but nothing is green yet. Darling, you must know how dreadful it all is. We kiss and embrace you. God bless YOU. "

    The Romanov family was mercilessly executed the night of July 16/17 1918. According to witnesses, Anastasia was holding Jimmy (a later exhumation & subsequent DNA analysis wholly verified Romanov DNA & canine DNA). Ortino was not at the site of execution but is referenced in the following graphic description by one of the marksmen who performed the execution: 'Mikhail Medvedev shot Nicholas II dead with the first bullet;...I also shot into the prisoners'.  He recalled 'the dogs barking very loud' and that after the frantic shooting, only Alexei remained alive, though gravely wounded. 'I recommended to kill him with a knife and slay the royal dogs that were barking so much'. One account says that when revolutionary soldiers went into the house where the family had been shot, a small bulldog defending his family’s bodies barked at them angrily, A soldier then stabbed the dog to death, bringing it outside to display it in macabre splendor, impaled on his bayonet to a cheering crowd.
    A guard at the Ipatiev House described the scene after the execution. 'The door from the hallway to the room where the royal family lived was closed, but the room was empty. Not a single sound was heard from there. Previously, when the royal family lived there, one could hear  the life in their rooms: voices, footsteps. Now there was no life. Only the dog stood in the hallway near the door into the room where the royal family lived and waited to be let in these rooms. I remember thinking at the time: 'you're waiting in vain'.

   It is reported that Joy was not present at the time of the execution. Having been known to roam the yard, this likely saved his life. He was reported to be standing in the hallway where one of the guards took pity on him. Eight days after the execution, the Soviet soldiers withdrew as White forces entered the city. They soon found the poor dog  - 'half-starved' - running around the yard. He was seen as 'the sole survivor of the Imperial Family'.

     Joy then when to the home of Ipatiev House guard, Mikhail Letemin. Colonel Pavel (Paul) Rodzianko, then serving with the British Expeditionary Force in Siberia,   assumed care of Joy (who by that time was  blind).  'After Joy was rescued, Paul looked after him. The spaniel came, wagging his tail uncertainly, stumbling a little, finally bumping his nose into Rodzianko's leg. He was totally blind. He seemed to be always looking for his master, and this had made him so sad and dejected that he would scarcely touch his food even after he was lovingly cared for,' wrote Marion Wynn in 'The Final Resting Place of Joy', an article in Royalty Digest (2004). 

    Colonel Rodzianko travelled with Joy into Siberia, where a British military mission was stationed. Later, Joy accompanied Rodzianko to Vladivostok after the army retreated. Rodzianko, in his book "Tattered Banners" wrote: ...‘With heavy hearts we sailed away from Vladivostok. Joy, the little ill-named spaniel who had seen his master murdered, that fateful night, travelled with me. I have never seen Russia again.' Crossing half the globe, Joy thusly arrived back in the UK and was given by Rodzianko to King George. Joy lived the remainder of his life at Clewer Hill Rd., Windsor and was buried in the cemetery of the royal dogs at Windsor castle. His tombstone was stated simply: "Here Lies Joy".



*"Ortino", is often referred to as "Orpino"...while possible, I have chosen to call him "Ortino" as: 1) Dmitri Malama (the soldier who have Tatiana Ortino) had a favourite  horse named "Ortino"....she therefore could have chosen to honour the gift (& the giver) by naming the dog "Ortino"; the Russian alphabet is Cyrillic....when Tatiana wrote about Ortino...a Cyrillic T is easily construed as a Cyrillic P. Then again, who knows?

**Anastasia refers to her dog as "Jim" in the following letter to Mashka:
24 Apr., 1918"...My Jim has caught cold, and coughs, so he sits at home and sends regards. There was such incredible weather! One could shout from the pleasantness of it. Strangely enough, I tanned more deeply than anyone else, a regular Arab woman!?"

Can you believe these pawsitively ghastly creatures? I suppose these late 19th century Bullies are interesting as testament to the state of the undershot jaw already fixed in Bostons, Frenchies & Bullies...yet...they're nightmarish! The collars, I've explained before: on living dawgs...the prickly hair lining the collar is usually badger fur...(the prickly guard hair dissuades fervent go-for-the-throat bites amongst errant fighting breeds...the thick collar is to protect the jugular...

To the unfortunate souls of a certain nature/age-group who frolic about the streets & cafes mask-less & feckless....spreading Corona ad-lib...gee thanks.

As we Oregonians now head into a 2nd more "woke" lockdown...where we have suggested protocols & requests for non-travel/limited interaction etc......I doubt very much that the afore-referenced parties will control themselves over Thanksgiving &/or during weekend sporting-event shindigs, a group gaming sesh, Karaoke night, Thirsty Thursday etc.. One can hope though. Its either stay-home...& break this redundant corona-cycle...or, we will be playing the lockdown game for years. And the irreplaceable wisdom of the elders who become infected (& who pass) with Corona will be lost forever. I realise that gaming, selfies & green gatherings are here to stay...but lord, lord, lord...really, people?

​I find myself reciting Kipling's poem "If" every day now...

Whatever the case, if you're aged & savvy like me...you've likely thought ahead & have your coffers & freezers & pantries loaded with essential & non-essential stuff ranging from Hefeweisen...to chocolate...to green tripe...to Walkers shortbread...to loads of dog food ingredients...right?

In case you get into a bind: Don't forget...anything is better than dry dog food anywayyyyy!

So....

Head to your local feedstore and procure a 50 lb. bag of organic rolled oats. Cool...now you & Sparky have some porridge to live on...cook it daily...and add chopped up chunks of fresh, raw vegetables (carrots, broccoli, etc...); fresh, raw meat (beef, chicken, turkey necks); add some eggs...(cooked or raw...shell or no-shell...); add some fat...(peanut butter, sesame oil, almond butter...whatever); add some dairy...(yogurt, quark, feta...whatever); add some fruit (apples, bananas, berries...whatever); add some carbs...(pasta, yams...whatevahhhh).

There are those who will say that livestock food is not safe for humans. 
There are those who will say human food is not safe for livestock.
Granted, organic rolled oats sold at the feedstore have not been fumigated & bleached...

You can pandemic without pandering...
I hope you stay home for my family. I'm staying home for your family.

Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, the ruler of Turkmenistan, unveiled a statue of the Alabai dog yesterday! A 50' bronze sculpture in gold leaf....a staggering homage to his favourite breed. And then there are the TV screens...showing the Alabai at play....all in the newly-built capital of Ashgabat. 

Shrill of voice & curly of tail...this snappy little race is derived from the Bering-strait crossers...can you see their relation to the Salish types? Poms, Alaskan Spitz...Samoyeds...Huskies, American Eskimos, Mals...& more...