(Warning pet death)
Occasionally, an archivist or historian finds something so extraordinary it stops them in their tracks. Such an event was triggered for me by the photograph below (Figure 1), which certainly delighted, intrigued, and confused me. Simply described as a dog atop a horse, this photograph may be the most whimsical item in the Local History Collection. Naturally, the horse and dog conjured many questions: What was it doing there? How did it get up there? Then finally, the most important question for the curious historian: why did someone capture this moment forever?
There are dozens of pet and animal photographs throughout the TADL Local History Collection, and their status as a staple photographic subject remains the same today. Pets can include animals used for sentimental and practical reasons. As pets, many animals held multiple purposes as sources of delight, for companionship, and labor. Dogs would work, herding, guarding, hunting, while often remaining a formidable member of the family. Similarly, cats helped with pest control, serving as mousers for agricultural societies, yet named and regarded affectionately.
A pet is an evolutionary wonder, which evolutionary psychologists have debated and contemplated for decades. One explanation explains pets as a child substitute or as a parent substitute.1 It is true that today, most people considered their pets as children or a close family member.2 Today, there is a great focus on the wellness aspect of pet-ownership., psychologists have focused on the overall health benefits of keeping pets. Studies show that pet owners seem to handle stress or upsetting life events and as a result experience fewer health problems, lower anxiety, and fewer doctor’s appointments.3 However, the roots behind the altruistic behavior of caring for a different species is not easily explained and this practice has evolved over millennia.
(Pet) Keeping a Tradition
Pet ownership is global and its manifestations varies between societies and cultures. First human-animal interactions began around 135,000 years ago, when wolves reached out to humans to steal scraps and beg for food.4 Over time, animals like pigs, cats, and chickens probably also came to humans looking for easy food.5 Between humans and these wild animals there was a process of “mutual domestication.”6 Both humans and non-human animals coexisted and coevolved into communities consisting of humans and animals.7 Humans behaviorally coevolved with animals, but not genetically.8 Meanwhile, domesticated animals evolved over time to keep the more juvenile characteristics, like curiosity and willingness to interact with other species, which led to changes in physical characteristics, i.e. the shortening of the jaw and smaller sized animals.9. Scientists suggest that the endocrine system is responsible for the changes in animal’s appearances.10
In the very beginning, wolves in particular shaped human behavior and enhanced human adaptation. Through cooperation in hunts, wolves taught humans better hunting techniques.11 Over time, dogs became hunters, guards, and laborers by working to pull and carry food sources.12 In their new roles, dogs began living and working with/for humans. Herding was a quality acquired by both dogs and humans-- instead of chasing and killing, both species learned how to herd animals. As a result of this inter-species collaboration, humans were made more cooperative, and, in effect, domesticated by interaction with another species.13 Their “survival value” likely spread anthropomorphic thinking, (assigning human-like intentions, emotions, and thoughts to animals) and eventually lead to sentimental feelings towards animals and the idea of “pets.”14
Early agricultural societies found cats useful in their communities. Cats were natural and efficient at catching rodents, thus the perfect protectors for grain storage. But cats appear to be more than just a useful tool for a farming community. Around 9500 years ago, in a small Neolithic farming village of Shillourokambos on the island of Cyprus, a cat was buried in a small human-made pit, centimeters away from a human grave.15 The two skeletons were uncovered in the same archeological layer indicating the burial of the cat and human occurred around the same time in the late ninth century B.C.E. Their association, besides proximity, is evidenced by the similar position of the human and the cat –skeleton lays on its left side, the head facing west and the back towards the south.16 The examination of the cat showed no foul play, there were no signs of mutilation or butchering. Instead, this cat was originally buried complete alongside a human. While it is possible that the cat was killed to be buried alongside this human, the burial suggests a special relationship between this human and this cat.
Another example of pet ownership is evidenced in Antiquity. People of all social backgrounds of Ancient Greece and Rome kept pets. Their writing and funerary culture demonstrates their special feelings towards these animals: affection, care, and joy (Figure 2).17 Their attachment and sentimental attitudes towards their pets mirrors the modern one. They saw their furry friends as companions, imbued them with human-like emotions and intentions, and they perceived mutual affection between themselves and their pets.
In Germanic societies from the Early Middle Ages list a few kinds of dogs: herd dogs, watch dogs, and several kinds of hunting dogs.18 Around the seventh and eighth centuries C.E., Alamans and Bavarian laws attested to their status as a valuable laborer.19 In the Middle Ages, people lived with the preconceived notion that animals were property and inherently belonged to people.20 But, they too kept pets in the modern sense.21
Pets are not a strictly “modern” phenomena, evidence suggests that pets were also common in non-western societies and throughout time.22 Humans' interactions and perceptions of their natural world and animals were never heterogenous nor stagnant. Everyday interactions between animals and their human owners morphed throughout history.
Connection to Local History
This long history of pet ownership continued into the modern era and is reflected in the Local History Collection’s holdings. In this article, our primary concern is the perception of animals, particularly pets like cats and dogs, by Grand Traverse County residents at the turn of the nineteenth century. Two sources provide the most insight into human-animal relationships: the local newspaper and photographs.
The following firsthand accounts from pet owners provides both quantitative and qualitive information. The types of pets and naming conventions (quantitative), as well an emotional history (qualitive) that can help us understand the experiences of these pet owners. The experiences of the animals, however, is unknown, thus this history is strictly one-sided- we have no idea of the emotions of these animals as they lived their lives as pets.23
The Sunshine Club
Children are an understudied demographic in history. Their experiences and agency often overshadowed by the experiences of adults. The Sunshine Club is a unique view into the quotidian experience of children in the region from their own perspectives (Figure 4). Of course, transcribed into the newspaper, we do not know how much the editor edited or transformed the children’s original letters before printing them. Still, in good faith and evident by the short sentences and sometimes awkward syntax, we may assume that the editor edited them slightly but not entirely.
Beginning around 1878, the “Home Department” column was edited by “Mrs. M. E. C. Bates,” (Marth E. C. Bates), who was married to Thomas Tomlinson Bates owner and editor of the Grand Traverse Herald. The column shared recipes and advice for various facets of domestic life, gardening, cooking, and parenting. 24 The “Young Folks Department” was a section of this column and was in existence by at least 1880 (Figure 5).25 On January 6, 1881, Mrs. M. E. C. Bates writes that for three years the column was dedicated to the mothers, but in the new year the newspaper will dedicate the column to children.26 The instructions from the editor tasked children to write a letter including their name, age, where they attended school, their teacher’s name, and what they were studying.27 The letters were then transcribed and published in the column. This new column titled “For Our Boys and Girls” included poems,28 stories, and letters starting January 27, 1881.29
The letters from children were published less frequently, but occasionally, but no dedicated column existed for children until the late 1890s. In 1896, another work of Bates titled, “Home Cheer,” whose target audience were mothers and women, began being published with the Herald.30 Home Cheer also included letters from children.
The various columns edited by Martha E. C. Bates were the prelude to a very popular column dedicated to uplifting children and the world through positivity and education. “The Sunshine Club” was organized in December 8, 1898 as a “great campaign of cheer and love against sorrow and wrong.”31 The columns in the newspaper were a form of social media, where children could send letters from all over northern Michigan, Elk Rapids, Manistee, Empire, Suttons Bay, Bay City, and from other states, like Florida, Illinois, Arizona.32 Children would comment on enjoying the letters written by other children, and many expressed wishes for the letters to be published.
To join the club, the child had to send a letter to the editor and their name would be placed in a book along with other members and assigned a number. They would then be mailed a card and they must sign the pledge (Figure 6):
According to the editor, for years children sent in “so many bright bits of sunshine in the way of letters.”33 The letters were mostly written by children between six and sixteen years old. Their topics range from discussing their teacher, how often they go to school, how much they like school (their perception of school was overwhelming positive), their family members, death of family members, Christmas gifts, and of course, their pets. Most children mentioned having typical pets, like cats and dogs. Others, especially those living in more rural places, considered many farm animals as “pets,” with names and expressed affection for them.
By September 22, 1904, the Sunshine Club column received its own dedicated page in the newspaper.34 Mabel Bates took over for Mrs. M. E. C. Bates, still the president in 1904, and began constantly updating the club about her mother’s poor health.35 Mrs. M. E. C. Bates’ condition further declined and on March 17, 1905, the column announced the death of the Sunshine Club’s first president, Mrs. M. E. C. Bates.36 After the death of her mother, Mabel Bates became the president of the Sunshine Club and Clara Bates became the first vice president. In July 1906, Mabel Bates married and became Mrs. C. C. Williams, before moving to Denver. 37 Since the logistics of Mabel receiving correspondences and sending out membership cards from the new residence in the West would take too long, Miss Clara Bates took over as president, and Mabel Bates William became the first vice president, essentially switching roles with Clara.38
Of the hundreds of letters published in the Herald throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, I have chosen a sampling of letters where children mention their pets that lived in and near Grand Traverse County. Spanning from 1881 to 1912, the letters surveyed here in this article were chosen for their content discussing their pets.
As expected, most children had dogs and/or cats as pets. Owners of cats include Sophia Dvorak (eleven years old) from Traverse City (1894) that wrote about their tabby kitten.39 A third grader attending the Rennie School, Susie Rennie (1900), wrote about their black cat.40 And Isabel Baatz of Traverse City (1904) wrote about their Maltese kitten. 41
The amount of information ranges from simply the type of pet to specific details about their animal companion. For example, eight-year-old Mabel Despres (1894) wrote, “For pets I have a pet cat; her name is snowball. My grandma found it out in the snow when it was a little kitten and brought it over to me.”42
Children would often include the names of their pets. The practice of naming animals is significant, it means someone has assigned an identity to an animal and suggests the animal’s function in the family. Most of the names mentioned below I consider to be “human names,” “descriptive names,” or “typical pet names.” In a survey of 36 letters to the editor, most of the animals were given human-like names, like sixth grader Nina Onderkirk’s (1898) dog, Jack. 43 Frank Paffhausen (1899) of Blaire had a pet cat named Tommy, and a “good old dog” named Kizer.44 Also in a letter written in 1899, Carrie Dike of Traverse City told the club about their cat named Bobbit.45 A name may or may not make a pet, but it certainly humanizes an animal to some extent, implying a functional purpose for the name, like frequent interaction (which would require language to refer to the animal) or affectionate/anthropomorphic reasons (the dog is deserving of a name like humans).
The naming conventions in the early twentieth century provides another insight into the relationship between animals and their owners. Dogs names, like cats, ranged from human names to names normally associated with dogs. In 1904 Edith Winchcomb wrote: “I have a little black dog. His name is Fido.”46 Six-year-old Nellie M. Smedley’s letter (1905) wrote, “I have a little dog; her name is Snip.”47 Meanwhile, another Traverse City adolescent, Arley McDonald (1907), described their dog named Dan: “He is black with little spots of Brown.”48
Canaries and doves were also reoccurring pets written about in the newspaper. Two early letters written to the editor in 1881 includes Emma Thacker living in Acme and thirteen-year-old Nora Routsong, who both only had a canary as a pet.49 A nondescript bird named Dewey was the pet of Ruth Hartman, six years old living in Traverse City in 1900, along with a cat named Tiger.50 Lottie Enquist, from Old Mission, wrote about their doves, “I have a pair of pretty doves that was sent from Elk Rapids to me this week.51
Chickens appear often as pets and most were named. In 1898, Elise Glendinning writes, “For pets I have a dog and a chicken.”52 Bertie Haywood, 8 years old, from Old Mission wrote, “I have a rooster; his name is Bob White”53 Lilian Seeley of Kingsley (1900) has a pet hen named Bessie.54 In the same publication, Mina Seeley wrote about their pets, a black kitten, who had “caught four rats,” and pet chicken named Dinah.55
A few children also had rabbits. A letter published in 1904, was written by fourth grader Emma Winoweicki, who mentioned their dog, named Dick, two cats, and four rabbits.56 In 1905, nine-year-old Mamie Flossie Whitman, from Kingsley wrote: “For pets I have a dog: his name is Rover, and two rabbits, Charlie and Fanny.”57
Surprisingly, few children mentioned their almost “exotic” pets, who were native to northern Michigan. For example, J. Riley’s pet deer in Paradise township (1881),58 and Ella Hammond’s pet raccoon living in Traverse City (1907).59
A pet mentioned more frequently than one might expect were pet squirrels. Squirrels as well as dogs and birds were actually common in the late eighteenth century America.60 Martha Stanislawski mentioned many pets in their letter in 1904: “We have five head of cattle, Rose, Daisy, Billy and Dimey, and we have two horses, Flora and Kitty… I have a pet squirrel, dove, and a kitty.”61 Sidney Luce from Kingsley (1908), describes the types of interactions between the family and their tame squirrel: the squirrel would take “a lot of squash seeds and put them among the house plants and they will come up about two inches high. Then he will hide the rest in a corner.”62
Besides pet horses, like Leia R. Aker’s “nice pet pony” (1900), children considered their cows as pets.63 Typical farm animals, like chickens, were considered pets by many children like George Gitchel of Interlochen (1899) wrote “I have a pet cow. Her name is Speckle. She is the best cow we have.”64 In 1900, Lydia M. Rennie, 10 years old, wrote, “We have 5 cats and one dog. I have a mule; his name is Columbus.” In 1904, Roy Lather, eleven years old, from Traverse City writes that along with Ben the cat, they have a pet cow named Babe.”65 Twelve-year-old Robert Seeley (1907) had a horse named Fred and a calf named Cherry.66
A personal favorite letter was written by Donald Kennedy of Traverse City (1912), “I have a pet lamb named Susie. She is a very nice lamb. The other day, she caught cold in her eye and it stays shut. I feed her clover and oat straw. She comes up every morning and wants me to play with her.” 67
Like Susie the lamb wanting to play with Donald Kenney, the interactions between children and their pets are reflected in the letters. Pets were often playmates. Dora Davis, 16 years old in 1905, explained the type of activity they would do with their dog. At an old age, Dora’s dog named Cub knew how to play one game, “he will play hide and see with me. He will blind and when I am hid he will hunt until he finds me.”68 Mary Biermacher of Monroe Center (1899) described their kitten, Tim, as very playful that would sometimes catch a mouse.69They were perceived friends as evidenced in the1881 letter from Mary Wilcox of Blaire, who wrote, “I have… a cat named Fox. Fox likes me and I like him.”70
Pets were occasionally discussed in a manner of taking care of them. One example is found in Minnie Belle Wait’s letter (1881) which described Minnie’s role in their pet’s daily upkeep, “I have a little white and Malteser kitty, and a little canary which I have to take care of every morning before I go to school.”71 Similarly, Gertrude Owen (1904) explained giving their puppy Frisk a bath, “Nearly every time when we get done washing we give him and bath, and, my! But he likes it.”72
Children also expressed sadness and attachment to their animals. In 1894, Lottie Enquist from Old Mission wrote about their multiple pets: doves, kittens, and a dog named Prince. Lottie also mentioned another dog, “The other nice dog we had last winter was shot by a bad boy. I felt so sorrry that I cried. It was the best dog that I have seen – smart and good to mind.”73 From the letter, it is evident that Lottie mourned the death of this pet and expressed the qualities they found valuable in a pet. David Colerick from Old Mission wrote in 1908, “I once had a little dog named Pedro but he died. I would like to get another.”74
In the Newspaper
People’s dogs in particular appear in the newspaper often, especially in early twentieth century. The perceived value of the dog is reflected by these wanted advertisements in two ways: First, someone had to pay to advertise for their lost dog, and second, they sometimes offered monetary regards for the return of the precious pet. These advertisements also provide more information about the breeds of dogs owned by locals, more so than the children’s letters who were mainly concerned about their general appearance and temperament. In January 1905, J. J. Tweddle living on 629 West Eighth Street advertised for their lost Scotch collie dog named Kiser.76 Another a lost white and brown English beagle, named Queen, owner promised to reward information.77 Collie Shepard named Shep was lost and a reward advertised by E. L. Ashten (Figure 9).78
The newspaper often reported on dog/pet related happenings in town. In 1911, Henry Blackman’s shepherd dog never arrived in Elk Rapids. The newspaper reported that the dog was sent on the Pere Marquette railroad from Traverse City to his farm in Elk Rapids. Blaming the railroad company, Blackman filed for damages, but decided to bring the railroad company to court for settlement, at which point the railroad company needed to “produce the dog or his equivalent in the court room.”79
Dogs were also considered dangerous. Rabies and dog bites was a health and safety concern that was frequently discussed in the newspaper (Figure 12).
The Official Side of Pet Ownership
Keeping health and safety in the village of Traverse City was a concern for the City Council. Their stance on management of dogs in the city included imposing a dog tax or mandatory dog licensing, catching stray dogs, killing unclaimed stray dogs, and burying them at an undisclosed location. This whole operation involved establishing a system to manage dogs in the city. An ordinance titled, “Relative to Licensing of Dogs and regulating the running at large of, and the slaying of dogs” was passed by the council on March 8, 1897. 80 The ordinance stated that people had to pay to own a dog over three months within the City of the Traverse City. The payment was taken to the office of the City Clerk and they would receive a metal plate or check, which every dog needed to wear around their neck. The poundmaster’s duty was also described, “to take up and impound any dog, male or female, found running at large in the City of Traverse City” without a metal plate or check. The dog needed to be claimed and a license of the dog verified, within five days before the pound master to kill the dog. Hereafter, the city needed to pay for a person to kill the dogs and receive a commission on the dog licenses, they also had to pay for the dog tags and the burial of the dead dogs.81
The person in charge of such a feat changed overtime and who exactly paid these expenditures as well. In 1898, Joseph E. Nelson was being paid by the Contingent Fund for “impounding and killing dogs” as well as a commission on dog licenses. At the same time, Mark Craw (who was also responsible for draying for the Fire Dept),82 would bury the dead dogs.83 J. E. Nelson remained the dog slayer for another three years, collecting cash for killing dogs and a commission on the dog licenses.84 In terms of cost, the annual report for 1901-1902, stated that the cost for killing and impounding dogs was $38.30.85 Beginning in 1903, this cost was extracted from the Police Fund, and James Avery took over from J. E. Nelson. 86 It appears Avery was paid $1 for each killed dog, thus in May of 1903, Avery killed 11 dogs, and was paid $11.00.87 Avery also received a 15% commission on the dog licensing fee.88 The amount of dogs killed increased over time, in total the annual statement for 1903-1904 says the council paid $76.00 for the killing of dogs.89 Interestingly, in 1909 the cost was now the expenditure of the General Street Fund and George Gegner was paid for killing and burying dogs.90
In the Archive
In the Local History Collection, the bond between people and animals are evidenced at least a dozen times over in the form of photographs. These photographs display a variety of animals, mostly dogs, and their small and grown human friends. For an animal to be a part of a portrait or taken on trips, the bond between the dog and its human owners was likely significant. Between animal portraits and family portraits, people felt the need to document their animals as members of the family and features in their immediate environment.
Many of the pet photograph in the Local History Collection exist with little to no context, while it is the job of the archivist to understand the background of these items, the historian is primarily concerned with its contents and what these photographs can tell us about pets and their humans. I will highlight five photographs that derive from a variety of collections located in the archive.
Photograph 1 & 2:
While the human companions to these cats and Peggy is unknown, and the extent of their connection to Grand Traverse County is similarly unclear. Thus, these photographs are treated as items that exist in the Local History Collection and as such their historical value and relevance can be derived from that fact alone.
Photograph 1 and 2 captured images of pets in the same yard. A lawn surrounded by trees in the background and. This is a rural location that experiences seasons like fall and winter, proved by the leaf-barren trees and shrubbery. In Photograph 1, on the right one can pick out a silo in the far distance. The silo combined with the manicured lawn and what appears to be a field, cleared of crops, signal that these photographs were taken on or near a farm, seemingly miles away from any large settlement. At the edges of the field and the lawn is a line of trees and foliage that border a road. Telephone lines and the “Cross road” sign just behind Athan in Photograph 1, situates the yard alongside a road with moderate traffic. Just behind Athan is a white school-house or church, either would support the need for a crosswalk sign, to protect the church-goers or students.
Peggy may have been a working dog, helping on the farm, perhaps taking the job as a herder of throngs of farm animals. By the cuddly body language between Peggy and her human friends, Peggy was likely a pet that was enjoyed by many different generations (Figure 14).
The cats, Topsey and Fuzzy could have been also mousers, catching mice and rodents on the farm. They were partially domesticated, as they perched nicely, in a deliberate way on the round metal tub. These cats were certainly friends of their owners, they made little effort to leave and based on the photograph appear to be sitting rather still for the camera.
Photograph 3:
Hans Wiegand squats on the wooden porch of the Mikesell & Co. Canners and Preservers factory building on 115 Hall Street. We may even be able to identity the exact location based on another photograph.91 The photo was likely taken after 1911, when Lund F. Mikesell moved to Traverse City and succeeded the Traverse City Canning Company with his own canning company (Figure 15).92 Mickesell & Co., owned and managed by Lund F. Mikesell, specialized in canned fruits and vegetables.
The human in this particular photograph is identified as Hans Wiegand. Hans or Herman L. Wiegand was born in Indiana around 1880 and moved to Traverse City by 1900.93 By the next census in 1910, Hans was a superintendent at a canning factory and Hans remained in the canning business for another decade or so.94 It would not be a terrible stretch to say that Wiegand worked at Mickesell & Co. Toots, the dog with the spiked collar, who is sitting very well in this photograph, may or may not have been Wiegand’s pet.
Photograph 4:
Photograph 4 was probably digitized from a glass or photo negative and only exists digitally at localhistory.tadl.org. None of the people have been identified, but these could be employees as the description states. They could just as easily be tourists there to enjoy the architecture and park-like, picturesque grounds of the Northwestern Michigan Asylum (or later and better known as the Traverse City State Hospital). The three posing for the photograph are wearing dresses, two have long beaded necklaces. They appear to be older individuals, and their dog looks very comfortable and relaxed laying in the grass in front of a small garden.
In the background is the Administration Building, the center of Building 50, now demolished, just beyond the trees is one of the signature spires of building 50. In addition, to the left of the entrance of the administrative building is a waiting horse and small buggy. Some of the blinds are drawn and at least one window is open so the photo was likely taken sometime in the late spring or early fall, before the trees shed their leaves. Due to the horse and buggy, this scene was captured likely sometime before the 1920s, when automobiles raised dramatically in popularity and use and buggies fell to the wayside.
Photograph 5:
An unknown young person is seated in wicker chair in a photographic studio in Traverse City. A sleeping a small-medium sized dog on the left lays at their feet. There is no identification of this individual or dog, but based on the photographer, the portrait was taken sometime between April 27, 1893 and 1898 by Albert J. Bradshaw. The most probable answer is that the dog belonged to the subject of the portrait or its family, although it is possible it belonged to Bradshaw, who used the dog for an artistic purpose.
Bradshaw’s Photographic and Enlarging House at 411 South Union Street, was opened by April 27, 1893.95 It appears besides being a photographer, Bradshaw was also an artist, offering a crayon or watercolor portrait as a prize for the winner of the fancy work exhibition at the fair.96 Photographer, gallery curator, and portrait artist, Bradshaw helped develop photography in the city and we can wonder how many more portraits taken by or painted by Bradshaw still exist. Bradshaw went out of the “Photographic Biz” in the summer of 1898 after over 20 years being a photographer.97 The Herald reports that Bradshaw sold out to Smith and Price around 1900 before leaving for Sault Saint Marie, Michigan around 1901.98
Hanley Wilhelm Album
Hanley traveled around northern Michigan with friends and family taking photographs along the way. The photographer, potentially Hanley himself, found a lot of joy in their dog. The dog’s name is unknown, but hopefully one day we can identify these beloved pets.
The Wilhelm Album is a beast of its own, requiring its own dedicated article. As a precious artifact, the album is a finely curated and decorated scrapbook filled with photographs of family, friends, adventures, and most importantly for the purpose of this article, dogs. One dog in particular was the subject of a more than a dozen portraits.
Conclusion
Pictures with our animal companions remains a popular subject for selfies or family portraits. Pets are a part of everyday life for us as much as it was for people of the past over a century ago. While many remain unknown, these pets are remembered in anonymous photographs that remind us of the pervasiveness of human and animal relationships. The long history of pets like many other subjects, connect us with the past and humanizes those figures in black and white photographs, framing them as people with families, empathy, and affection for the animals in their lives.
1 John Archer, “Why do people love their pets?” Evolution and Human Behavior 18, no. 4 (1997): 241, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0162-3095(99)80001-4.
2 James Serpell and Elizabeth S. Paul, “Pets in the Family: An Evolutionary Perspective,” in The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Family Psychology, eds. Todd K. Shackelford and Catherine Salmon (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), 298.
3 James A. Serpell, “Anthropomorphism and anthropomorphic selection--beyond the "cute response,” Society and Animals 10 (2002): 442, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233582872_Anthropomorphism_and_Anthropomorphic_Selection-Beyond_the_Cute_Response; David D. Bouin, “Understanding Relations between People and their Pets,” Sociology Compass 6, no. 11 (2012): 860.
4 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 13.
5 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 13.
6 Joyce E. Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 3rd ed. (London, New York: Routledge, 2022), 13.
7 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 13.
8 Abel Alves, “Domestication: Coevolution,” in Handbook of Historical Animal Studies, eds. Mieke Roscher, André Krebber, and Brett Mizelle (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021).
9 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 14.
10 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 14.
11 Alves, “Domestication: Coevolution.”
12 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 14.
13 Alves, “Domestication: Coevolution.”
14 Serpell, “Anthropomorphism and anthropomorphic selection,” 440.
15 Jean-Denis Vigne, J. Guilaine, K. Debue, L. Haye, and Patrice Gérard, “Early Taming of the Cat in Cyprus: Supporting Online Material,” Science 304 (2004): 259, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8629197;_Early_Taming_of_the_Cat_in_Cyprus; “Pets in the Family: An Evolutionary Perspective,” 298.
16 Vigne, et al., “Early Taming of the Cat in Cyprus: Supporting Online Material,” 259.
17 Amir Zelinger, “History of Pets,” in Handbook of Historical Animal Studies, eds. Mieke Roscher, André Krebber, and Brett Mizelle (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021); see, Francis D. Lazen “Greek and Roman Household Pets,” The Classical Journal 44, no. 4 (January 1949), 245‑252, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Journals/CJ/44/4/Household_Pets*.html.
18Laws of the Alamans and Bavarians, trans. Theodore John Rivers (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1977), 37, 54-55, 93-94, 169, 170.
19 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 18.
20 Salisbury, The Beast Within: Animals in the Middle Ages, 17.
21 For a relatable tale of a human-dog relationship see, Rodolfo Signorini, “A Dog Named Rubino,” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 41 (1978): 317–20, https://doi.org/10.2307/750876.
22 James A. Serpell, “Pet-Keeping in Non-Western Societies: Some Popular Misconceptions,”Anthrozoös 1, no. 3, 166-174; Zelinger, “History of Pets.”
23 Sarah D. P. Cockram, “History of Emotions,” ,” in Handbook of Historical Animal Studies, eds. Mieke Roscher, André Krebber, and Brett Mizelle (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021).
24 Grand Traverse Herald, April 15, 1880, 6, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18800415-01.1.6&e=------188-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-11-byDA-img-txIN-dog+---------.
25 Grand Traverse Herald, September 16, 1880, 3, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18800916-01.1.3&srpos=1&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
26 Grand Traverse Herald, January 6, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18800415-01.1.6&e=------188-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-11-byDA-img-txIN-dog+---------
27 Grand Traverse Herald, January 6, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18800415-01.1.6&e=------188-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-11-byDA-img-txIN-dog+---------.
28 Grand Traverse Herald, January 13, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810113-01.1.4&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
29 Grand Traverse Herald, January 27, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810127-01.1.4&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
30 Grand Traverse Herald, January 2, 1896, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18960102-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
31 Grand Traverse Herald, December 8, 1898, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18981208-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
32 Grand Traverse Herald, January 26, 1905, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19050126-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
33 Grand Traverse Herald, January 19, 1905, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19050119-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1-byDA-img-txIN-dog-------GrandTraverseGTH19041006%252D01--.
34 Grand Traverse Herald, September 22, 1904, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19040922-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
35 Grand Traverse Herald, September 22, 1904, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19040922-01.1.5&e=------190-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-101-byDA-img-txIN-pet---------.
36 Grand Traverse Herald, March 23, 1905 , 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19050323-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
37 Grand Traverse Herald, April 6, 1905, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19050406-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
38 Grand Traverse Herald, July 19, 1906, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19060719-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
39 Grand Traverse Herald, November 29, 1894, 7, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18941129-01.1.7&srpos=5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
40 Grand Traverse Herald, February 15, 1900, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19000215-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
41 The eleven-year-old Retta M. Potter (1881) of Williamsburg and 11-year-old Minnie Cotton (1905) of Traverse City both had two cats and one dog. Grand Traverse Herald, September 29, 1904, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19040929-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------; Grand Traverse Herald, November 9, 1905, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19051109-01.1.5&srpos=7&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------; Grand Traverse Herald, February 24 ,1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810224-01.1.4&e=------188-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-11-byDA-img-txIN-dog+---------
42 Grand Traverse Herald, November29, 1894, 7, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18941129-01.1.7&srpos=5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
43 Grand Traverse Herald, December 29, 1898, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18981229-01.1.8&srpos=51&e=------189-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-51-byDA-img-txIN-Sunshine----1898-----
44 Grand Traverse Herald, August 3, 1899, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18990803-01.1.8&srpos=22&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
45 Grand Traverse Herald, April 6, 1899, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18990406-01.1.8&srpos=45&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
46 Grand Traverse Herald, June 16, 1904, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19040616-01.1.8&srpos=87&e=------190-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-81-byDA-img-txIN-pet---------.
47 Grand Traverse Herald, February 23, 1905, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19050223-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
48 Grand Traverse Herald, April 18, 1907, 3, Newspaper Archives.
49 Grand Traverse Herald, January 27, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810127-01.1.4&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------; Grand Traverse Herald, April 14, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810414-01.1.4&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
50 Grand Traverse Herald, March 1, 1900, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19000301-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
51 Grand Traverse Herald, November 29, 1894, 7, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18941129-01.1.7&srpos=5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
52 Grand Traverse Herald, December 22, 1898, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18981222-01.1.8&srpos=50&e=------189-en.
53 Grand Traverse Herald, February 24, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810224-01.1.4&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
54 Grand Traverse Herald, March 22, 1900, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19000322-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
55 Grand Traverse Herald, March 22, 1900, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19000322-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
56 Grand Traverse Herald, June 2, 1904, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19040602-01.1.8&srpos=85&e=------190-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-81-byDA-img-txIN-pet---------.
57 Grand Traverse Herald, January 26, 1905, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19050126-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1-byDA-img-txIN-dog-------GrandTraverseGTH19041006%252D01--.
58 Grand Traverse Herald, March 31, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810331-01.1.4&e=------188-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-11-byDA-img-txIN-dog+---------.
59 Grand Traverse Herald April 18, 1907, 5, Newspaper Archives.
60 Katherine C. Grier, Pets in America: A History (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2010), 20.
61 Grand Traverse Herald, June 2, 1904, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19040602-01.1.8&srpos=85&e=------190-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-81-byDA-img-txIN-pet---------.
62 Grand Traverse Herald, April 21, 1908, 6, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19080421-01.1.6&srpos=51&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
63 Grand Traverse Herald, February 15, 1900, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19000215-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
64 Grand Traverse Herald, July 6, 1899, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18990706-01.1.8&srpos=32&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
65 Grand Traverse Herald, November 24, 1904, 7, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19041124-01.1.7&e=-------en-10--1-byDA-img-txIN-dog-------GrandTraverseGTH19041006%252D01--.
66 Grand Traverse Herald, February 28, 1907, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19070228-01.1.5&srpos=12&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
67 Grand Traverse Herald and Traverse Bay Eagle, April 2, 1912, 8, Newspaper Archives.
68 Grand Traverse Herald, November 9, 1905, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19051109-01.1.5&srpos=7&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
69 Grand Traverse Herald, January 5, 1899, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18990105-01.1.8&e=------189-en-10-GrandTraverseGTH-11--img-txIN-Sunshine---------.
70 Grand Traverse Herald, February 24, 1881, 4, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810224-01.1.4&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
71 Grand Traverse Herald, February 10, 1881, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18810210-01.1.5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------
72 Grand Traverse Herald, September 15, 1904, 8, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19040915-01.1.8&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
73 Grand Traverse Herald, November 29, 1894, 7, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18941129-01.1.7&srpos=5&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
74 Grand Traverse Herald and Traverse Bay Eagle, November 13, 1908, 6, Newspaper Archives.
75 Grand Traverse Herald and Traverse Bay Eagle, November 13, 1908, 6, Newspaper Archive.
76 Traverse City Record Eagle, January 23, 1905, 5, Newspaper Archive.
77 Traverse City Record Eagle, July 11, 1929, 7, Newspaper Archive.
78 Traverse City Morning Record, July 11, 1899, 3, Newspaper Archive.
79 Traverse City Record Eagle, August 3, 1911, 3, Newspaper Archive.
80 “Ordinance Relative to Licensing of dogs, and regulating the running at large of, and the slaying of dogs,” in Council Proceedings of the City of Traverse City May 1, 1899-May 1, 1900, H.C. Davis, 60.
81 “Financial Statement,” in Council Proceedings of the City of Traverse City May 1, 1899-May 1, 1900, H.C. Davis, 187.
82 “Regular meeting of City Council July 5, 1898,” in Council Proceedings of the City of Traverse City, May 1, 1898 – May 1, 1899, 3.
83 “Regular meeting of City Council Oct. 3, 1898,” in Council Proceedings of the City of Traverse City, May 1, 1898 – May 1, 1899, 38.
84 “Official Proceedings, July 1, 1901,” in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1901 to May 1, 1902.
85 “Total costs for the year May 1, 1901 to May 1, 1902,”in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1901 to May 1, 1902, 220.
86 “Regular Session June 1, 1903,” in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1903 to May 1, 1904, 35.
87 “Regular Session June 1, 1903,” in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1903 to May 1, 1904, 35.
88 “Proceeding of the Common Council Official Regular Session July 6, 1903,” in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1903 to May 1, 1904, 62; “Regular Adjourned Meeting April 27, 1905,” in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1904 to May 1, 1905, 256.
89 “Adjourned Regular Session April 29, 1904,” in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1904 to May 1, 1905, 207.
90 “Regular meeting December 6, 1909,” in Official Proceedings of the Council of the City of Traverse City Michigan May 1, 1909 to May 1, 1910, 175.
91 “Mikesell & Co. Cannery,” TADL Local History Collection, accessed March 24, 2025, https://localhistory.tadl.org/items/show/16329.
92 Traverse City Record Eagle, June 15, 1911, 4, Newspaper Archives.
93 1900 United States Federal Census, Michigan, Grand Traverse, Traverse Ward 01, District 0039, sheet 9A, Ancestry.
94 1920 United States Federal Census, Michigan, Grand Traverse, Traverse, District 0030, sheet 3A, Ancestry.
95 Grand Traverse Herald, April 27, 1893, 5, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18930427-01.1.5&srpos=3&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
96 Grand Traverse Herald, September 13, 1894, 9, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18940913-01.1.9&srpos=28&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------..
97 “Going Out of the Photographic Biz,” Grand Traverse Herald, May 5, 1898, 2, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH18980505-01.1.2&srpos=40&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------.
98 Grand Traverse Herald, October 18, 1910, 1, Digital Michigan Newspapers, https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=GrandTraverseGTH19101018-01.1.1&srpos=2&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------; U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, Traverse City, Michigan, City Directory, 1901, 65, Ancestry, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2469/records/432463900?tid=&pid=&queryId=c53cd36c-afe3-4a5b-bda9-6d0f89bf14de&_phsrc=FJM665&_phstart=successSource.