Pompeii Casts. Victim 8, the watchdog of Vesonius Primus.

Found on 20th November 1874 chained behind the entrance doorway at VI.14.20.

Victim 8 is a guard dog contorted probably trying to free himself from the chain tied to the collar by a large bronze ring.

The body was found on the right in the entrance of VI.14.20 the Casa di Vesonius Primus or House of Orpheus on the 20th of November 1874.

Two bronze rings were found attached to the collar.

See Osanna, N., Capurso, A., e Masseroli, S. M., 2021. I Calchi di Pompei da Giuseppe Fiorelli ad oggi: Studi e Ricerche del PAP 46, p. 334-5, Calco n. 8.

Victim 8. Watchdog showing collar with bronze rings. Photo: G. Sommer.

In his description of this plaster-cast in his Guida di Pompei, 1877, Fiorelli described –

“Large dog [no.8], tied to the threshold of the door of a house in which he stood guard.

Two bronze rings are preserved in the impression of the leather collar. (Reg. VI, ins XIV, number 20).”

See Fiorelli, Guida di Pompei, [Rome, 1877,] p.88-89.

See Dwyer, E., 2010. Pompeii’s Living Statues. Ann Arbor: Univ of Michigan Press, (p.94).

VIII.1.4 Pompeii Antiquarium. About 1875-1880. Cast of watch dog (Victim 8). Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Victim 8. 2011. Cast of watchdog on display in Boscoreale Antiquarium.

Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

La scheda informativa del museo dice

Il calco ottenuto colando gesso nell'impronta lasciata dal cane nel materiale eruttivo del 79, mostra un esemplare di Canis Catenarius addetto, cioè alla custodia della casa.

L'esame dei caratteri morfologici, reso possibile dalla perfezione del calco, pur non consentendo la identificazione di una precisa razza, lo colloca, tuttavia tra quelli adatti anche alla caccia.

The museum information card says

The cast obtained by pouring plaster into the imprint left by the dog in the eruptive material of 79, shows a specimen of Canis Catenarius assigned, that is to the custody of the house.
The examination of the morphological characteristics, made possible by the perfection of the cast, while not allowing the identification of a precise breed, places it, however among those suitable also for hunting.

Artwork by Allan McCollum, The Dog from Pompeii (1991).

VII.7.29 Pompeii. May 2015. Plaster cast of dog, found in November 1874, chained and left behind in VI.14.20.

Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

According to Estelle Lazer, it appears that all the bones were removed prior to casting.

This was the only cast studied that had not yielded any skeletal elements.

The CT scan showed the original bronze rings where the chain would have been attached to the collar, as well as metal reinforcing rods and some restoration work.

Volume rendering revealed areas of different densities of plaster that indicated that it was either assembled from at least six pieces or that it was restored with new plaster over time.

See Lazer E., et al. 2020. Inside the Casts of the Pompeian Victims: Results from the First Season of the Pompeii Cast Project In 2015. Papers of the British School at Rome.

VII.7.29 Pompeii. May 2015. Detail of plaster cast of dog found in November 1874.

Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

According to Ruggiero (1879) the animal had been tied behind the front door of the House of Vesonius Primus.

As the cinders raining down through the hole in the centre of the roof (compluvium) accumulated in the passageway, he climbed on top of them, twisting himself with his back to the ground and his legs raised upwards, wrenching his neck and his head to get free from the rope fastened to a ring of bronze which can still be seen attached to his collar.

However, to no avail, as he was overcome and choked by the ashes.