The New York Daily News reports that three-year-old Jaylynn Thorpe was saved by his two puppies. The boy and the puppies wandered off from the boy’d babysitter in Halifax County. He then spent 21 hours in the freezing forest, wandering nearly a mile from his babysitter’s house.
The puppies kept the boy warm as they nestled against him during the night.
Luckily, this story had a happy ending.
But it does have a role in dog evolution. The band Three Dog Night is named for a techniqued used by the indigenous Australians to keep warm on cold nights. The dogs would be used as a heat source, snuggling up with them on cold nights to keep warm. On chilly nights, one dog would suffice. As the temperature dropped, they would snuggle up with another dog. If it got really cold, they would need three dogs, “a three dog night.” It is possible that this may have been an early use of domestic dogs.
The small spaniels that are believed to be the ancestors of the papillon/phalene, the English toy spaniel, and the Cavalier King Charles, were used as heated blankets, as well as serving as flea catchers to draw the fleas off their owners. The Xoloitzcuintli is often used as a heated blanket for people suffering from arthritis.
So think about this the next time your dog snuggles up to you.
