Pet Care in Medieval Times
It seems that even in Medieval times, the human race has always had a soft spot for our four-legged friends.
Our care and compassion for animals has certainly evolved over time, but it's interesting to look back at how we have relied on pets throughout the course of human history.
According to a new article on the website Medievalists.net, domesticated animals like dogs and cats in the Middle Ages were primary kept to serve a purpose--hunting, guarding, mousing. But evidence suggests that in many cases, these animals were loved and well cared for by their owners.
Advice on how to properly care for pets was surprisingly widespread during this time period. For example, one scientist wrote that dogs used to guard the house should not be fed food from the table or be petted constantly, or else they will "keep one eye on the door and one eye on the generous hand of the master." While the concept of man being a dog's master is highly outdated, it seems that loving owners having been slipping scraps under the table for ages.
