Maggot's Dogs

[Maeglin]

I am back after my month away, and while I was gone, I thought of something in the Lord of the Rings. FotR says that Farmer Maggot has "3 ferocious looking dogs." Now, let us think here.....ferocious looking dogs to us would be about 3 or 4 feet tall and have huge teeth and much aggression (i.e. a German Shepherd, Doberman, St. Bernard, etc.). Hobbits, however, don't grow more than about 3 feet tall. So are dogs that look ferocious to them......dachsunds or something? This is just a curious question. Because seriously, if the dogs were German Shepherds or Pit Bulls or something, I don't think a little Hobbit would be able to boss it around. On the contrary, I think the Hobbit would be prey and a tasty morsel for the dog to feast upon. Tell me your thoughts!

 

[Eriol]

I think they were quite big, like (at least) German Shepherds. Mostly because they tried to attack (or at least sniff) the Nazgûl. I don't see a basset hound doing that .

Note, however, that Pit Bulls are quite small. They could have been Pit Bulls.

I don't think that Maggot would have trouble controlling a German Shepherd. They are wonderful dogs

 

[Inderjit S]

Personally, I hate dogs. But most dogs, if brought up from a young age by their masters obey them no matter how tall or hairy their master is. The Hobbit dogs would have been bred from "normal" Mannish dogs and so I suspect that they would have been of a similair size, though maybe smaller. (I don't know if dogs were popular with Hobbits.)

 

[HLGStrider]

Consider that a lot of kids play with big dogs without those big dogs attempting to eat them.

Newfoundlands were commonly used as Nannies in English households, but those dogs certainly look impressive. My grandma has some and they bark loud, stand tall, and everything. Gentle as kittens with those they love, however, including my three year old sister.

 

[33Peregrin]

I always thought them to be big.... at least as big as the ones in FOTR. And as what was said already, if dogs are trained right, they will listen to anyone. And anyway, I don't think Farmer Maggot in particular would have any trouble controlling much of anything.

 

[Ronaldinho]

Any dog around the size of a collie and larger would probably have appeared big to hobbit eyes.

 

[Astaldo]

I don't think Farmer Maggot in particular would have any trouble controlling much of anything.

Yes there is something strange upon him. He is also refered from Bombadil so there seems to be something on him that encourages him also when the NAzgul arrives.