pirates
The Prison Dog.

The Prison Dog.

"Come on, doggy. It's just you and me now. It's you and old Jack. Come on. Come on. That's a boy. Good boy. Come get the bone. That's a good boy. Come on. A bit closer. A bit closer. That's it. That's it, doggy. Come on, you filthy, slimy, mangy cur."
―Jack Sparrow to the Prison Dog[src]

A dog, also referred to as doggie (or doggy), spot, rover, mongrel or pup, is the domesticated descendant of the wolf, with the term "domestic dog" generally used for both domesticated and feral varieties. The dog was the first animal to be domesticated by humans and had been the most widely kept working, hunting, and pet animal in human history. Dogs had perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, guarding, assisting the military, in addition to their roles as companions. The term "dog" could also be used as a word for contempt. Following his escape aboard the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow told his crew, "On deck, you scabrous dogs!"

History

"At least let me slice the mongrel's throat!"
"I...I can't paint without Flash. He's my inspiration. My muse."
"Cats mew, boy, not dogs. But I suppose you don't need to be a genius to put paint to paper. Let the dog live. I had a dog once myself. Did fine tricks. Fetch, boy."
―Zeke, Josiah Smith, and Smilin' Jack[src]

By the Age of Piracy, dogs were usually kept as companions or pets, or as a keeper of the keys to prison cells.[1][2] Josiah Smith had a little black dog named Flash, who was threatened by Zeke, a crew member of Smilin' Jack, who let Josiah's dog live as he had a dog once who did fine tricks.[3]

The most well-known dog was the Prison Dog with the keys. Although known to be the pet of Captain Edward Teague, Pirate Lord of Madagascar and Keeper of the Code,[4] the dog was more well-known as the holder of the keys in the prison at Fort Charles in Port Royal, Jamaica.[5][6] By the search for the Dead Man's Chest, the Prison Dog aided in the escape of Pintel and Ragetti from Port Royal, leading to become the new chief of the Pelegostos Tribe on Pelegostos Island following the escape by Jack Sparrow and the crew of the Black Pearl.[7] After the dog himself escaped Pelegostos Island, supposedly by riding on the backs of sea turtles lashed together with his fur,[8] the Prison Dog appeared with Captain Teague during the Fourth Brethren Court.[9]

By 1750, Scrum embellished his outfit with various items, each with its own history, including the jawbone of his dog that was eaten by a shark, used for eating, sewing, as a weapon, and digging.[10] In London, England, dogs were barking on the night Joshamee Gibbs met with Hector Barbossa, a privateer in service to King George II, at the Execution Dock.[11] By 1751, George Swift was the owner of the Swift and Sons Chart House, not allowing dogs or women inside the shop.[12]

The term "dog" could also be used as a word for contempt. Following his escape aboard the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow told his crew, "On deck, you scabrous dogs!"[6] About one year later, when Jack Sparrow and Joshamee Gibbs were recruiting at a crowded cantina at Tortuga, a skinny man claimed that his wife ran off with his dog.[7] When Angelica was being marooned on Sola Fide Beach by Jack Sparrow, she tried to have him admit he still loved her, only for Jack to tell Angelica that if she had a sister and a dog, he would choose the dog.[11]

Notable dogs

Behind the scenes

Dogs were first named "doggie" (or "doggy"), "mutt", "spot" and "rover" in the 1966 soundtrack for Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean in 1967. In the ride, three pirate musicians sing "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" as a dog and a donkey bark and bray backup respectively, and later the iconic scene with the Prison Dog and the pirate inmates. The dog is also among the fifty-five animals that appear in the ride.[15][16] When discussing the visual effects for the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl by Industrial Light & Magic, director Gore Verbinski said, "The first time animatronics were used was in the Disney ride. Seeing the barking dog and the talking skeletons made you question whether or not it was real. But today's audiences are savvier because of effects. We are using computer-generated animation to achieve that same reality for today's audience."[17] The term "mongrel" and "pup" was first uttered in the 1996 book Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean,[3] before the more notable usage of "mongrel pup" in the 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[9]

In Tim Powers' 1987 novel On Stranger Tides, which was used as the basis for the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, a pirate named Mr. Bird continuously asks his fellow pirates if someone had called him a dog.[18] Voodoo sorcerors used the heads of mummified two-headed dogs; Blackbeard uses them as magical pointers,[19] and Benjamin Hurwood/Ulysse Segundo uses them as supernatural surveillance equipment.[20]

According to a post made by Terry Rossio on Wordplay, regarding the production of On Stranger Tides, actor Stephen Graham embellished Scrum's outfit with various items, each with its own history, including the jawbone of his dog that was eaten by a shark, and then he killed the shark, now the precursor to the swiss army knife—used for eating, sewing, as a weapon, and digging.[10]

Appearances

Sources

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Disneyland: From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jack Sparrow: City of Gold
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Climb Aboard If You Dare!: Stories From The Pirates of the Caribbean, p. 46-49
  4. ↑ The Price of Freedom
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  8. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Pirates Secrets Revealed"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wordplayer.com: WORDPLAY/Archives/"We Sail With the Tide" by Terry Rossio
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  12. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  13. ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Tale of Billy Turner and Other Stories
  14. ↑ Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow
  15. ↑ Disneyland: From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow
  16. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies
  17. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean production notes, accessed Dec 9, 2006
  18. ↑ On Stranger Tides, Chapter Two
  19. ↑ On Stranger Tides, Chapter One
  20. ↑ On Stranger Tides, Chapter Twenty-Four