The Cynophere, a dog-powered velocipede, was invented by the French mechanic Narcisse Huret and patented on December 14, 1875. Illustration: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)
Ever since dogs were first domesticated about 18,000 years ago, they’ve often had jobs to earn their keep. Today, some dogs are used to herd sheep while others help hunters track and flush out game. And, believe it or not, dogs were sometimes used historically to power machines in private homes and factories.
Dog-powered
machines
were
surprisingly
common
in
19th-century
America,
with
dogs
often
walking
on
treadmills
to
power
everything
from
meat-roasting
spits
to
butter
churns
to
various
forms
of
transportation.
They
were
common,
at
least,
until
evolving
standards
about
what
constitutes
animal
cruelty
put
a
stop
to
the
trend
in
the
early
20th
century.
The bizarre tricycle-style invention pictured above was created by Narcisse Huret in 1875 and presented at the Universal Exhibition (otherwise known as a World’s Fair) in Philadelphia for the U.S. Centennial in 1876. The device was powered by two dogs and apparently could reach a speed of roughly 6 miles per hour.
As
author
Andrew
A.
Robichaud
notes
in
the
2019
book
Animal
City:
The
Domestication
of
America,
dog-powered
machines
were
being
advertised
for
sale
in
the
U.S.
as
early
as
the
1820s,
and
really
hit
their
peak
from
1840
to
1870.
These
machines
helped
make
all
kinds
of
products
and
were
seen
by
many
people
as
perfectly
normal
duties
for
dogs.
But times change. And attitudes around what’s an acceptable occupation for a dog changed with it. Even in the 19th century, it’s not hard to see why so many people started to consider these machines cruel. The treadmill, after all, was originally invented in 1817 as a torture device.
Click
through
the
slideshow
to
take
a
look
at
some
of
the
hard-working
good
boys
and
girls
in
history
who
helped
humanity
get
the
job
done.
And
don’t
forget
to
remind
your
own
pampered
dog
how
much
harder
their
life
would’ve
been
200
years
ago,
as
the
TikTok
meme
so
often
reminds
us.
Dog-Powered
Churn
Engraving depicting a butter churn powered by a dog running on a treadmill in the 19th century. Image: Universal History Archive/ Universal Images Group (Getty Images)
The
most
common
dog-powered
machines
of
the
19th
century
were
utilizing
treadmills
that
our
canine
friends
would
walk
on.
But
the
ultimate
purpose
of
the
machine
could
vary
widely.
In
the
image
above,
the
machine
was
a
churn.
The February 1849 issue of the magazine The Genesee Farmer mentioned an 11-foot wheel that was being marketed for powering various machines that weren’t just for churning:
This power is applied to a circular saw, a lathe, and several other operations, such as churning, pumping and washing. It is said to be much superior to the old one so long in use for churning.
But
the
second
half
of
the
19th
century
saw
even
more
applications
than
that.
Dog-Powered
Water
Pump
Four dogs power a wheel for pumping water at Valparaiso, Chile, overseen by a man with a whip, in 1855. Image: Illustrated London News / Topical Press Agency (Getty Images)
Another
way
that
dog-powered
machines
helped
humanity
was
by
pumping
water
out
of
the
ground,
like
in
this
report
from
Chile
in
the
1850s.
From
the
May
26,
1855
issue
of
the
Illustrated
London
News:
This ingenious method of raising water from deep wells, by the means of dogs, has now, for a number of years, been the only way of supplying all English and foreign men-of-war and merchantmen, as well as almost the whole town of Valparaiso, with water.
The water is raised from the well by wooden buckets, emptying themselves on a table, from which, through pipes, the water is conveyed to launches, put into casks and buckets, and delivered to its various quarters.
The wheel raising the buckets is driven by eight dogs, belonging to Don Juan Augustine Vives: They continually run upwards, with perfect ease only four of the dogs work at a time; and when one is tired he jumps off, and another takes his place.
Obviously,
you
can
see
the
whip
being
wielded
against
the
dogs,
perhaps
explaining
why
this
method
of
water
pumping
fell
out
of
favor.
Not
very
nice
at
all.
Turning
Meat
on
a
Spit
Under
Dog
Power
Illustration showing a dog-powered meat roaster in a book by Henry Wigstead from 1799 titled Remarks on a Tour to North and South Wales: in the year 1797 Image: Wikimedia
Back
in
the
late
18th
and
early
19th
century,
cooking
meat
often
happened
by
turning
a
spit
over
a
fire.
But
constantly
cranking
the
spit
obviously
could
get
tiring.
That’s
where
dogs
came
in.
The 1853 book The Illustrated Natural History (Mammalia) by John George Wood explained how the dog-powered turnspit worked:
At one extremity of the spit was fastened a large circular box, or hollow wheel, something like the wire wheels which are so often appended to squirrel-cages: and in this wheel the Dog was accustomed to perform its daily task, by continually working. As the labour would be too great for a single Dog, it was usual to keep at least two animals for the purpose, and to make them relieve each other at regular intervals. The Dogs were quite able to appreciate the lapse of time, and, if not relieved from their toils at the proper hour, would leap out of the wheel without orders, and force their companions to take their place, and complete their portion of the daily toil.
The
illustration
above,
which
appeared
in
the
1799
book
titled
Remarks
on
a
Tour
to
North
and
South
Wales:
in
the
year
1797
by
Henry
Wigstead,
featured
an
illustration
of
the
dog-powered
spit.
And
it’s
clear
the
illustrator
wanted
to
communicate
how
this
labor-saving
invention
was
making
things
easier
for
humans.
Turnspit
Breed
of
Dog
Image: Google Books / The Illustrated Natural History (Mammalia)
Dog-powered machines became so common in the early 19th century that specific breeds of dogs were created to ensure they were small and strong, like the Turnspit dog pictured above.
The
1853
book
The
Illustrated
Natural
History
(Mammalia)
by
John
George
Wood
explained
that
automated
roasting
jacks
had
become
common
enough,
that
few
people
used
dogs
to
turn
meat
in
their
homes
anymore
by
the
middle
of
the
19th
century.
And
the
author
noted
how
new
technology,
in
this
case
a
textile
device
called
the
spinning
jenny,
had
put
previous
sewing
technologies
out
of
use.
Just
as
the
invention
of
the
spinning-jenny
abolished
the
use
of
distaff
and
wheel,
which
were
formerly
occupants
of
every
well-ordained
English
cottage,
so
the
invention
of
automaton
roasting-jacks
has
destroyed
the
occupation
of
the
TURNSPIT
DOG,
and
by
degrees
has
almost
annihilated
its
very
existence.
Here
and
there
a
solitary
Turnspit
may
be
seen,
just
as
a
spinning-wheel
or
a
distaff
may
be
seen
in
a
few
isolated
cottages;
but
both
the
Dog
and
the
implement
are
exceptions
to
the
general
rule,
and
are
only
worthy
of
notice
as
being
curious
relics
of
a
bygone
time.
The Turnspit dog no longer exists here in the 21st century, but they were pretty cool-looking guys, even if they had to work like hell to survive.
Dog-Powered
Sewing
Machine
Image: Popular Scientific Recreations (1882) by Gaston Tissandier / Google Books (Fair Use)
This
invention
of
a
dog-powered
sewing
machine
was
considered
particularly
cruel,
as
was
noted
in
the
1882
book
Popular
Scientific
Recreations.
Again,
as
Andrew
A.
Robichaud
mentions
in
his
2019
book
Animal
City:
The
Domestication
of
America,
the
heyday
for
dog-powered
machines
was
1840-1870,
so
it
makes
sense
that
by
1882
people
were
starting
to
become
disturbed
by
these
machines.
One
Dog-Power
Engine
Excerpt
from
the
June
1934
issue
of
Modern
Mechanix
magazine
featuring
a
“dog-powered
engine”
Image:
Internet
Archive
Dog-powered
machines
didn’t
necessarily
go
away
by
the
20th
century.
In
fact,
they
were
still
pictured
as
a
fun
contrivance,
as
long
as
they
were
used
for
recreational
activities
where
the
dog
could
plausibly
be
having
some
fun,
like
in
this
idea
from
the
June
1934
issue
of
Modern
Mechanix
magazine.
Knife-Sharpening
Machine
Knife-grinder of Caen using a dog to power his machine. Dog walks round and round the wheel. 1882. Image: Thomas Crane / Culture Club (Getty Images)
Another
common
dog-powered
machine
of
the
19th
century
included
knife-sharpening,
something
that
wouldn’t
necessarily
be
seen
as
very
cruel
given
the
relatively
limited
amount
of
time
required
to
get
the
job
done.
Modern
Re-Imagining
Lillies war, dog powered machinery
There
are
a
handful
of
people
on
YouTube
who’ve
built
their
own
dog-powered
machines,
including
someone
who
built
a
gigantic
wheel
that
powers
a
blade
sharpener,
just
as
people
were
doing
in
the
19th
century.
Canadian
Working
Dog
A
dog-powered
treadmill
pictured
in
Canada
in
1954.
Photo:
University
of
Waterloo
(Fair
Use)
This
photo
was
taken
by
a
photographer
for
the
Kitchener-Waterloo
Record
newspaper
in
Canada
in
1954,
though
it’s
not
clear
whether
the
machine
was
actually
used
at
the
time
or
existed
more
as
a
novelty
for
a
photo-op.
Slide Title
Dexter C Slater’s patented dog-power machine, patent no. 24338. The dog walks around a turning disc to provide enough power to operate a range of small machinery. Image: M J Rivise Patent Collection (Getty Images)
A
number
of
different
patents
were
granted
for
dog-powered
machines
in
the
19th
century,
including
the
machine
illustrated
above
for
a
pump.
Poor
Boys
Image: Public Domain Review (Fair Use)
Much
like
the
first
image
in
this
slideshow,
there
were
a
handful
of
dog-powered
transportation
vehicles,
though
they
weren’t
terribly
efficient
from
an
energy
perspective.
If
this
kind
of
thing
worked
well,
The
Flintstones
would
be
a
viable
model
for
powering
a
car.
What
appears
notable
in
this
invention
is
that
the
dogs
very
clearly
have
a
chain
attached
to
their
neck,
perhaps
suggesting
the
dogs
were
not
very
happy
with
the
situation
and
would
presumably
run
off
at
any
chance
they
got.
Butter
‘em
Up
Advertisement from the 1850s showing a butter churn machine powered by a dog Image: Internet Archive
This
ad
for
a
dog-powered
butter
churn
device
comes
from
the
1850s
and
is
featured
in
the
book
Working
Like
a
Dog:
The
Story
of
Working
Dogs
Through
History
(2003)
by
Gena
Gorrell.
Again,
churning
butter
could
be
an
exhausting
task
for
humans,
and
the
middle
of
the
19th
century
tried
to
solve
that
problem
by
using
dogs.
From
Serious
Work
to
Entertainment
Three dogs practice on a flying machine for their circus show. One turns a wheel which moves the planes the others sit in on April 21, 1943. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images (Getty Images)
By
the
middle
of
the
20th
century,
most
of
the
serious
work
machines
had
vanished,
but
there
were
still
some
very
cool
designs
for
similar
machines
used
for
entertainment
purposes.
Look
at
how
much
fun
they’re
having.
Now
that’s
a
dog-powered
machine
we
can
feel
good
about.