Did you know how the adage ‘[the dog] is man’s best friend’ came about? If you did not, this article will explain it.
George Graham Vest (1830-1904) was born in Frankfort, Kentucky. He stood only 5’ 6” (1.68m) high and weighed about110 pounds (50kg), but he was one of the giants among men.
As a practising lawyer, he took on any kind of case and became legendary for his exceptional skills in debate and oration. He also had an especially remarkable scrotal gumption. For example, at 23, he defended a slave accused of murder. The year was 1853; that says a lot.
The slave was acquitted, but died at the hands of an incensed mob who burned him at the stake.
The mob wanted to kill Vest, too, but he managed to escape.
In 1869, Vest was retained to act for the plaintiff in the well-known ‘Old Drum’ case. Old Drum was a foxhound owned by the plaintiff which was killed on the defendant’s instruction. During the trial, Vest stated that he would win the case or apologize to every dog in Missouri.
In making his closing speech, Vest made no reference whatsoever to the evidence submitted during the trial. He only made a eulogy to the dog.
When he had finished, there were few dry eyes in the courtroom. And a phrase he uttered gave rise to an adage well-known today – a man’s best friend is his dog.
Old Drum was well-known in the community. He was not only a highly-skilled hunting dog, but even his barking was so unique you could tell it was him even without seeing.
In 1958, a bronze statue of Old Drum was erected on the southeast corner of the current Johnson County Courthouse lawn in Warrensburg, Missouri. Contributions from dog lovers throughout the United States helped pay for it.
Below is Vest’s speech.
“Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has he may lose. It flies away from him perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stones of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.
“Gentlemen of the jury, a man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fierce, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come from encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wing and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
“If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of his company to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in his embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.”
While Vest was still speaking, the lawyers acting for the defendant knew they had lost the case and urged their client to exit right away together with them.
There are many instances of dogs illustrating their total devotion to their loving owners. Greyfriars Bobby and Hachiko are but only two examples.
