The dogs of ancient Pompeii were pets and guard dogs, as dogs are now. They were also protected by law from ill-treatment, as dogs are now. It's supposed that those dogs who were unchained, sensing the geological unrest, fled the city in advance of the eruption. Those who were chained perished along with their owners.
"For days before the eruption, there were warning signs. The ground shook, wells and springs dried up and no birds sang. But the citizens of Pompeii just went about their business - only the dogs took heed. With their acute senses, they could feel the tremors long before the humans."
"They walked for a day and a night without rest into the hot summer breeze, keeping Vesuvius downwind. On the second day, tired and thirsty, they were at the foot of a range of low hills. The sun was high in the sky. The wind had died down and all erupted from the top of Mount Vesuvius, rising a hundred thousand feet into the air."
The dogs who live there now are strays - dusty, scruffy, mutts, always on the lookout was quiet. Suddenly, the eerie silence was shattered by a tremendous explosion. A gigantic column of smoke for a handout in the form of a sandwich or a slice of pizza - but they all have a special dignity. They too are protected in a way unusual for stray dogs - the guides to the ruins of Pompeii care for them by pooling money to pay for food.
Few people who have ever toured Pompeii have failed to be enchanted by the dogs. One in particular took the authors' attention as they sat in a restaurant after touring the ruins. He was black, with a white patch on his chest and he had a great begging act. He approached each table with a sad expression and wagged his tail very slowly. Some diners ignored him, some gave him a tidbit from their lunch for which his gratitude was visible. Once in a while a waiter would chase him off. He'd wait patiently around a corner until the waiter was out of sight, then move on to a new table with the same brilliantly calculated performance.
The following notes are attached to various tourists' web sites:
CAVE CANEM - many houses have such mosaics. There must have been many dogs in ancient Pompeii.
Dogs remain very much a part of this city. They are strays or might have been abandoned and seem to rely on tourists for handouts. Most of the ones we encountered were sleeping in the shade. A few follow people around in the hope that they will receive food. One was waiting outside a snack shop for anyone gullible enough to let his guard down and hold a snack too low to the ground.
My impression of the dogs on each of the visits I've made to Pompeii is that they're happy, friendly and generally healthy and certainly don't look undernourished. Generous tourists share sandwiches with them.
I never saw any dog get upset at a person. They are now a part of the standard Pompeii visit.
"For days before the eruption, there were warning signs. The ground shook, wells and springs dried up and no birds sang. But the citizens of Pompeii just went about their business - only the dogs took heed. With their acute senses, they could feel the tremors long before the humans."
"They walked for a day and a night without rest into the hot summer breeze, keeping Vesuvius downwind. On the second day, tired and thirsty, they were at the foot of a range of low hills. The sun was high in the sky. The wind had died down and all erupted from the top of Mount Vesuvius, rising a hundred thousand feet into the air."
The dogs who live there now are strays - dusty, scruffy, mutts, always on the lookout was quiet. Suddenly, the eerie silence was shattered by a tremendous explosion. A gigantic column of smoke for a handout in the form of a sandwich or a slice of pizza - but they all have a special dignity. They too are protected in a way unusual for stray dogs - the guides to the ruins of Pompeii care for them by pooling money to pay for food.
Few people who have ever toured Pompeii have failed to be enchanted by the dogs. One in particular took the authors' attention as they sat in a restaurant after touring the ruins. He was black, with a white patch on his chest and he had a great begging act. He approached each table with a sad expression and wagged his tail very slowly. Some diners ignored him, some gave him a tidbit from their lunch for which his gratitude was visible. Once in a while a waiter would chase him off. He'd wait patiently around a corner until the waiter was out of sight, then move on to a new table with the same brilliantly calculated performance.
The following notes are attached to various tourists' web sites:
CAVE CANEM - many houses have such mosaics. There must have been many dogs in ancient Pompeii.
Dogs remain very much a part of this city. They are strays or might have been abandoned and seem to rely on tourists for handouts. Most of the ones we encountered were sleeping in the shade. A few follow people around in the hope that they will receive food. One was waiting outside a snack shop for anyone gullible enough to let his guard down and hold a snack too low to the ground.
My impression of the dogs on each of the visits I've made to Pompeii is that they're happy, friendly and generally healthy and certainly don't look undernourished. Generous tourists share sandwiches with them.
I never saw any dog get upset at a person. They are now a part of the standard Pompeii visit.
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