Dogs and devotion: faithful companions and their families

From one brown leather dog collar unfolds a story of a family that loved their dogs for generations. And the Thellussons of Brodsworth Hall weren’t the only grand family whose history we can understand more deeply through accounts of their four-legged friends.  

This time, Amy is joined by English Heritage historians Dr Megan Leyland and Eleanor Matthews to explore how dogs lived alongside people as companions, workers, status symbols and family members.  

From lapdogs and greyhounds to working dogs, canine hierarchies and pet cemeteries in the garden, we trace centuries of affection, symbolism and sentiment. We hear how dogs were fed, memorialised and painted into portraits that allow us to understand the values of the past today. 

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