Charles Dickens and Timber Doodle, the Flea-Ridden Dog
Dog of the Havana Breed by Jean Jacques Bachelier, (1724–1806).
(Bowes Museum)
(Bowes Museum)
In the mid-nineteenth century, Charles Dickens had a small, shaggy Havana spaniel named Timber Doodle. Dickens had acquired Timber during a visit to America and the little dog soon became his constant companion, even accompanying him on his travels. It was during one of these foreign excursions that Timber suffered from a very severe infestation of fleas. The solution was extreme. As Dickens relates in an 1844 letter:[…]Continue Reading
