Station: [28] The dog – companion of people

“This dog’s skull was discovered during excavations in Horst. It tells a story of a singularly peculiar relationship between human and animal. On the one hand, the dog is man’s best friend even in the 16th century, as long as it proves useful: it guards the herd and maybe the house or at least chases the bothersome rats away. If, on the other hand, it roams the streets in abandonment, people fear it. Not least because dogs may also transmit diseases. For that reason, roaming dogs were frequently beaten to death. That may be sad, but the people used to believe that only a useful dog could serve as a harmless companion.”