It's a Dog's Life

Have you ever wondered if, as a child, Grandpa had any pet dogs?

I can't say that I'd ever really wondered about this but now I know that he did!

And we also know what breeds of dogs the family owned from 1869-1893.

It is worth noting that during the 19th century, the selection of breeds favored in Ireland generally was far narrower than we are familiar with today.

These breeds were usually restricted to spaniels, hounds, setters, pointers, terriers - working hunting breeds.

In 1865, dog licenses were introduced into Irish law. A license cost 2 shillings per dog plus an extra 6 pence for administration costs.

These Dog Licenses were introduced to make it easier to identify the owners of trouble makers - those dogs which either worried sheep or damaged property.

In searching the Register of Dog Licenses from Ennistymon, Henry Patrick evidently was the only member of the Reilly family to have owned dogs. There were no entries for either his father, Patrick Edward, nor for his older brother, Edward.

As we learned from our previous post: "What's in a name?", H.P. enjoyed participating in Hunting and Shooting Parties so, it comes as no surprise that he also kept his own kennel of hunting dogs.

The information culled from the Dog Licence (sic) Registers, shows that H.P. had a turn-over of dogs almost every single year.

Initially, this was difficult for me to understand because, for most Americans, our dog is considered a member of the family.

How could H.P. have lost so many dogs?

Every year??

Did they keep getting lost?

Did they keep running away?

Did they die?

But, then I considered:

Being connected with the Hunting & Shooting culture, maybe H.P. employed a skilled gamekeeper who professionally trained hunting dogs which were then sold or given to other hunters.

This is just my own theory.

That said - let's consider the data which these Registers provide.

Years of Registration
Name of Owner
Residence
Sex of Dog
Colors of Dog
Breed of Dog

Henry Patrick's registrations start in 1869 with an empty gap from 1875-1880 and small gaps in the 1880s. He registered his last dog - a Black Male Collie - in 1893, the year before his death.

So, Gillie had a black Collie when he was seven years old. The collie was usually used to herd sheep. 

Black Irish Collie ~ Sheepdog

From 1869 until 1872 , H.P. was living with his parents at Woodpark House.

Afterwards and until 1893, he listed his residence, variously as:

Ennistymon
Lahinsey
Clooneyvigue
Deerpark

All of those areas refer to the neighborhood of The Sunny-Side Cottage.

So, what breeds of dogs did Henry Patrick Reilly prefer?

Most of his dogs were Native Irish Hunting Breeds.

This post concludes with the actual scans of his registrations but here are some generalizations.

H.P. Reilly registered:

1869 - Pointer, Poodle, Terrier
1870 - 2 female Pointers
1871 - 2 male brown male Pointers
1872 - 2 spotted male Pointers
1873 - 1 Water Dog
1874 - 1 brown female Water Dog
            1 red female Setter
1881 - 1 black female Water Dog
             1 brown female Setter
1883 - 1 black male Retriever
             1 brown male Terrier
1884 - 1 black male Water Dog
             1 grey male Terrier
1887 - 1 Black Male Terrier
             1 white female French Poodle
             1 black & white female Pointer
             1 black male Sheepdog
             1 red female Terrier
1888 - 1 Black male Sheepdog
             1 Brown male Terrier
1889 - 1 Black male Sheepdog
             1 Red male Terrier
             1 Red female Terrier
1890 - 1 Red female Sheepdog
             1 male black Terrier
1891 - 1 male black Sheepdog
            1 female red Terrier
1892 - 1 male black Sheepdog
             1 female red Terrier
1893 - 1 male black Collie

See what I mean? That is a lot of dogs!

It seems toward the end of his life, he might have kept the same dogs.

In 1887, 1888, 1889, 1891 and 1892, he had a black male Sheepdog. But we can't be sure it were the same dog.

In 1891 & 1892, he had a red female Terrier.

There are several entries for Sheepdogs which I am assuming are Collies.

Do any of you remember Grandma's Collie named "Boy"? 

Supposedly, Grandpa found him in 1953 and gave him to my father.

At the time, we lived next door and my mother was pregnant.

She never really liked animals and refused to name him - preferring to call him "Boy".

Eventually, Grandpa took Boy for himself.

After Boy died, I remember Uncle Tom surprising our Grandparents with a stray collie named "Sandy".  Do any of you remember that Sunday night?

Maybe the family knew why Gillie liked Collies?

If you are interested in learning more about the dogs owned by Henry Patrick Reilly from 1869-1893, please read on!

Since H.P. owned a total of 10 Terriers, let's start with the Irish Terrier. 

The Irish Terrier is markedly different from terriers bred on the continent and in England.

Irish Terriers were originally used to hunt woodchucks, rats and badgers among hedgerows and to protect the Irish family's "potato pit" against marauding animals.

Their reputation was enhanced during the First World War when they were used as messenger dogs in the terrifying noise and confusion of trench warfare, thus proving both their intelligence and their fearlessness.

The next most popular dog in the Reilly Kennel was the Irish Pointer.

Henry had Spotted, Black & White and Brown & White Pointers.

According to the American Pointer Association:

"No breed has the drive, the desire, or the white-hot intensity that the pointer does....... no breed is as spectacularly athletic ...... no breed can run so fast for so long...."

The Irish Pointer is considered primarily a Gun Dog. 

While hunting, he will often point and retrieve readily even from heavy cover. 

The physicality and nature of the breed has traditionally made it the choice for hunting waterfowl.

The Water Dog was also a favorite of Henry Patrick.....

In coastal areas of Ireland, water dogs were very popular and H.P. had several Irish Water Dogs in his life. 

The Irish Water Spaniel is a very old descendant of the Portuguese Water Dogs that came over to Ireland when natives of that country made raids to Ireland.

The first Irish reference to “ water dogs that pursue water fowl” dates from 1600, so we know that dogs with waterproof coats were used in Ireland even before the advent of the fowling piece. 

The Water Dog has great swimming abilities which make it a valuable gun dog capable of working in various terrains to retrieve game.

Its trademark is a short rat tail which acts as a rudder while swimming.

There is no real evidence of the ancestry of the Irish Water Spaniel except in this ~ its most peculiar feature ~ the rat tail.

This feature appears in no similar dog and makes it very likely that the modern breed had an indigenous Irish ancestor.

The tail has given rise to the names “ Whip Tail” and “ Rat Tail”.

The Irish Red Setter was developed in Ireland as a working dog for hunting game.

The Irish Setter is treasured worldwide by sportsmen who enjoy strenuous hunting and have the stamina to follow its relentless pace. 

The breed was developed to locate birds with its keen sense of smell and, once the prey was discovered, to hold its position (instead of chasing the birds) to avoid entering the line of fire.

In the past, its beauty as a show dog was overvalued at the expense of its importance as a hunting dog. 

Today, the balance has been redressed among enthusiasts who recognize its dual role as a field and show dog.

There are three Black Male Sheepdogs (might be the same dog, different years) and a Red Female Sheepdog on H.P.'s list.

I believe these sheepdogs are collies ~ a distinctive type of herding dog.

A Mahogany or Red Collie

A working dog, the Collie, is an extremely energetic and agile dog with great stamina. 

When in fit working condition they are able to run all day without tiring, even over very rough or steep ground.

Working collies display a keen intelligence for the job at hand and are instinctively highly motivated. 

They are often intensely loyal.

The only other breeds registered by H.P, were a White Poodle and a Black Retriever.

Even the most pampered lapdog in Victorian Ireland would have had a far more Spartan existence than a modern family pet. 

Pet toys did not become popular until the 1920s. 

Dogs would have been fed mainly on biscuits or bread soaked in a meat broth, milk or water and would generally get meat only rarely and in the form of biscuits make from wheat meal flavored with meat. 

Below are scans of the actual Dog License Registrations submitted by our great grandfather, Henry Patrick Reilly.

There we have it! More information than you ever knew was available about the Dogs of Henry Patrick Reilly 1869-1893!

As always ~ please feel comfortable about adding comments from your own memories and, should you (please) share these blog posts with your mothers, their memories would be FANTASTIC!

EPILOGUE 

History gives a nation its bearing on what it is and how its people are affected by what has happened in the past. 

Its kings and queens, its wars - with victories and defeats - these all mold a nation’s culture into the way it views itself in the present. 

In the same way, a family history presents how a family has survived and come to terms with the great social and cultural experiences of the ages.

We hope these stories will give each member of our family a foundation and, in some small way, explain how we came to be what we are today.

Hopefully, through these vignettes, our future generations will gain a knowledge of the energy and dynamism, the loves and hates, the errors and mistakes, the victories and failures, the struggles and successes that make us what we are.

Our family history presents a fascinating read - and, hopefully, some lessons to be learned in the process.