Lincoln's Dog Fido

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks for the link, Gene - ähem, Fido!

[L Verge]

No DNA. I'm not of the same opinion as Melinda Merck. My tail is a bit bushy for a lab, and my coloring is more mixed than you see in most Labrador's today.
But that's as good a guess as any.
Unfortunately, my photographer had not quite developed the fine art of canine portraiture, so it's hard to tell from the photographic evidence.

It's been mentioned before, but here is the link to the fine LIFE Magazine article by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt
https://books.google.com/books?id=MkgEAA...og&f=false

Fido

I would guess a shepherd (probably German) before a lab... I've had two shepherds during my time and both were outstanding. Mr. Lincoln would have appreciated their intelligence and Mrs. Lincoln would have loved how they protect children.

Of course, Fido, I have had my share of mutts/hybrids also, and with few exceptions they have been wonderful. The temperament of most dogs is what the owner makes it.

[Darrell]

No DNA. I'm not of the same opinion as Melinda Merck. My tail is a bit bushy for a lab, and my coloring is more mixed than you see in most Labrador's today.
But that's as good a guess as any.
Unfortunately, my photographer had not quite developed the fine art of canine portraiture, so it's hard to tell from the photographic evidence.

It's been mentioned before, but here is the link to the fine LIFE Magazine article by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt
https://books.google.com/books?id=MkgEAA...og&f=false

Fido

Fido, in your face-front photo, you look somewhat like a smaller version of Disney's Old Yeller. He was played by Spike, a 170+ pound Labrador Retriever/Mastiff cross. However, in the book, Old Yeller's breed is given as a "Black Mouth Cur."

Whatever your differences with Ms. Merck concerning your lineage, she is obviously an admirer. She said your "coat looks great, smooth, clean" and complimented you on your "bright eyes."

[L Verge]

No DNA. I'm not of the same opinion as Melinda Merck. My tail is a bit bushy for a lab, and my coloring is more mixed than you see in most Labrador's today.
But that's as good a guess as any.
Unfortunately, my photographer had not quite developed the fine art of canine portraiture, so it's hard to tell from the photographic evidence.

It's been mentioned before, but here is the link to the fine LIFE Magazine article by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt
https://books.google.com/books?id=MkgEAA...og&f=false

Fido

Fido, in your face-front photo, you look somewhat like a smaller version of Disney's Old Yeller. He was played by Spike, a 170+ pound Labrador Retriever/Mastiff cross. However, in the book, Old Yeller's breed is given as a "Black Mouth Cur."

Whatever your differences with Ms. Merck concerning your lineage, she is obviously an admirer. She said your "coat looks great, smooth, clean" and complimented you on your "bright eyes."

Have never seen this pose/angle of you, Fido. However, after seeing it, I withdraw my nomination of you as a German Shepherd. Those are not the eyes nor ears of a Shepherd.

[Steve]

Fido,
Here's a better image of your front facing photo, for those people interested in your family history - but for me you're a breed of one!

[Gene C]

- but for me you're a breed of one!

I always used to worry about that when they took me to the vet.

[Darrell]

Have never seen this pose/angle of you, Fido. However, after seeing it, I withdraw my nomination of you as a German Shepherd. Those are not the eyes nor ears of a Shepherd.

Based on an article by Dr. James Cornelius, the curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, there are three extant photos of Fido. He refers to them as the "face-front," "chin up" and "chin down" poses.

When I first saw them, I thought the "face-front" pose looked almost like a different dog altogether. However, the article obviously didn't use the much clearer and more detailed version that Steve just posted.



http://alplm.tumblr.com/post/80497508509/fido

[Steve]

Have never seen this pose/angle of you, Fido. However, after seeing it, I withdraw my nomination of you as a German Shepherd. Those are not the eyes nor ears of a Shepherd.

Based on an article by Dr. James Cornelius, the curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, there are three extant photos of Fido. He refers to them as the "face-front," "chin up" and "chin down" poses.

When I first saw them, I thought the "face-front" pose looked almost like a different dog altogether. However, the article obviously didn't use the much clearer and more detailed version that Steve just posted.



http://alplm.tumblr.com/post/80497508509/fido

According to the catalog information, the CDV of Fido I posted has an orange Civil War revenue stamp on the back. That would mean it was made in 1864 or 1865. So, I have to agree with Dr. Cornelius that the photographs were taken in 1865.

[Donna McCreary]

Based on Fido's photos, there appears to be a ridge on his back. I can not tell if this is an arch in his back due to his position, a shadow from the light, or an actual marking of a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog. I am not familiar enough with the breed to know when they came to America - or were able to mix with other dogs to create a non-pure bred dog.
Fido's ears and the shape of his face remind me of the American Foxhound, or a terrier breed. The dark spot on his back and side could be shadowing, or it could be the markings of a darker patch of hair - such as the Foxhound and the shepherd have. If I had to pick possible breeds that were in Fido's ancestry, I would choose, Labrador Retriever; Foxhound; and either a terrier or Rhodesian Ridgeback.

I am by no means an expert on dogs. It's just fun to guess.