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Page 1 of 5 In the 7th century before Christ there were two Syrian kings who used large dogs to hunt wild horses and lions. The story of these two kings, Asarhaddon and Ashurbani-pal, and their relationships with dogs are portrayed in the Syrian rooms of the renowned British Museum in London.
These large Syrian dogs were of great importance to their owners. The dog was also the emblem of the god Gula. According to murals these Syrian dogs were bigger and heavier than today's familiar dog breeds. In one of Darwin's writings about the same period he refers to the statue of a large dog on the grave of king Asarhaddon's son, which dates back to the year 640 BC.
Philemon Holland refers to several prominent persons who used large dogs for various purposes in his translations of Pliny's Natural History, 1601 . For instance, a Germanic king who returned from exile used 200 "dogges'' to reconquer his dominion.
Reference is also made to the Cimbrians who used "dogges'' to look after their belongings while they where engaged in bloody battles. In the same document reference is also made to Alexander the Great.
The king of Albania presented Alexander the Great with a dog. Alexander the Great was highly impressed with the huge dog, until he tried to use it, first, to hunt bears and later wild boar and deer. The dog showed no interest at all and just ignored everything.
Alexander the Great, the mighty king, the well-known conquerer, was enraged by the laziness of the dog and ordered the immediate execution of the dog. The news about the tragedy soon reached the king of Albania. Without delay he sent Alexander the Great a replacement together with the following advice: "Do not waste the dog's time with minor things. Give him a lion or elephant to fight." It is said that Alexander the Great first set up a fight against a lion. Within minutes the lion's back was broken. This was followed by a fight against an elephant, which fell down a cliff after being continuously attacked by the dog from all sides. The elephant panicked and just wanted to escape from the dog.
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