as small as a world and as large as alone

3:41pm July 27, 2013

odditiesoflife:

Dog Power

These vintage illustrations showcase dogs as a form of “animal power.“ In earlier centuries, horses and oxen walked in circles to grind corn. Even a donkey in a giant wheel was used to draw water from the well in Dover castle. But dogs have been hard working animals for centuries.

The first three illustrations were used to obtain patents for sewing machines, claiming that dogs could be used as their power source. They were actually referred to as “dog engines.”

The last illustration displays a very unique, but now extinct, dog called the Turnspit. It was bred in Britain for hundreds of years to help with cooking and is the original “working dog.“

1. The Richards Dog Engine, 1880s - This machine was originated by M. Richards of Paris, who employed a large number of sewing machines to make military uniforms. It could apparently power four heavy sewing machines, working intermittently.
2. English Dog Engine, 1874 - This dog engine for sewing machine use was patented in England, but the actual patent has never been located. The illustration is impractical given the amount of power required to move it. 
   
3. The Feldt Dog Engine, 1888 - This dog engine meant to drive a sewing machine was patented by Heinrich Feldt of Hamburg. The contraption used the small wheel approach. As the dog ran, three interconnected gears would spin to operate the machine.
4. The Turnspit Dog, 1500-1900 - A dog specifically bred to run on a small wheel in order to turn meat so it would cook evenly. This took both courage, to stand near the fire, and loyalty, to not to eat the roast. Due to the strenuous nature of the work, a pair of dogs would often work in shifts. This most likely led to the proverb “every dog has his day.”

source 1, 2

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