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| Sunday, 3 October 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Fascinating doggy tales Man's best friend, the dog, has been featured in mythology, religion, war, folklore, poetry, art and even history from ancient times. Their images have been featured in coats-of-arms and coins. In Egypt tombs were raised for dogs. It was a crime to kill a dog and anyone who was caught doing so had to face severe corporal punishment . Cruelty to dogs was even punishable by death. The Persians too considered killing a dog a crime. It was officially defined as a `guardian of the herds and protector of man'.In Greek mythology it was believed that the dog was the creation of god Vulcan. In the religious and mythological life of the ancient Aztecs, dogs were credited with guiding the human soul through the underworld to its final destination. Canines have been used in many wars. In Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, there is a cemetery for Soldiers' Dogs. It's a memorial to the thousands of canines who followed their owners into war. From 1742 to 1982 dogs have been buried here. The Romans war-trained dogs who were starved to make them more ferocious. The dogs had their own armour with knives fixed to the sides and back. Persian kings also used ferocious dogs in war. It is said that Cyrus the Great released four towns in ancient Babylon to train combat Mastiffs for his army. Fredrick, the Great of Prussia had a favourite dog that he carried with him wherever he went. It is recorded that once during the Seven Years War, when the king was fleeing from the Austrian enemy and was hiding under the arch of a bridge, his pet dog didn't even whimper when the Austrians were on the bridge. If he did, the fate of the king would have been different and history would have been different too. When this dog died, Fredrick buried him with his own hands in the ground of the palace in Berlin. One of the earliest dogs recorded in history was the dog that belonged to the father of Pericles of Athens. He is said to have swum beside his master's gally across the Bay of Salamis. Incised on some Greek coins dating back to 36 B.C. is the image of a dog very similar to the Great Dane of today.
Benny our pet squirrel My pet is a squirrel but it does not live in a cage. It lives freely running all over the garden. May be you will be interested to know how I found him. One day my little brother (who was only three-years old then) and I were playing in the garden when there was a strong blowing. My brother was wearing his new cap which he liked a lot. It flew off due to the strong wind and landed inside some bushes. We never went in there because there were a lot of creepy crawlies like lizards and snakes in that area. But it soon started to drizzle and my brother cried and refused to go indoors without his cap. Both my parents were out so I decided to go into the bushes and find my brother's cap. But before I could go in I heard a squeaky sound made by some creature I was curious and soon went into the bushes in the direction of the sound. I couldn't find anything at first but then I suddenly spotted a tiny creature on the ground near a bush. "Gosh! What a beauty." I cried out aloud and my brother who realised I had found some animal came running. He saw the creature and shouted 'Yes' in joy, took the little squirrel carefully into his hands and went straight home, forgetting all about his new cap. He loved the squirrel the moment he set eyes on it, even though he didn't know what it really was. I had a great adventure because of my brother's cap and ended up finding a beautiful pet. Meanwhile, my mother had come home and wanted to know where we were. My brother who was all excited explained everything to her. Then when dad came home he ran to tell dad all about his new love - the squirrel. As he didn't know what the creature was called my parents told him it was a squirrel. They also told us that these animals need freedom and so we decided not to cage our little squirrel. My mother had fed the tiny squirrel some milk with a spoon and made a warm bed with cotton wool for it while we were relating to dad how we found him. We named the squirrel Benny. Day-by-day it grew bigger and nicer. As Benny roams freely my father fixed a plate on to a tree to feed him. When it's time for a meal Benny is right there - waiting on the middle of the tree. Whatever food we put onto the plate, he eats. He is not afraid of us. I guess he remembers how we saved his life and brought him up when he was helpless. Benny likes to eat bananas and drink milk. I love having a beautiful pet like Benny. Maya Nisansala L. Ratnayake, St. Mary's Convent, Matara. |
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