Napoleon and the dogs relationship
The relationship between Napoleon and the dogs is the central mechanism of authoritarian control on Animal Farm, transforming the puppies he seizes after the hay harvest into a private guard that enforces his rule, silences dissent, and ultimately makes him indistinguishable from a human tyrant.
Origins and Seizure of the Puppies
Soon after the hay harvest, Jessie and Bluebell both whelped, giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies. As soon as they were weaned, Napoleon took them away from their mothers, saying that he would make himself responsible for their education. He kept them in a loft that could only be reached by a ladder from the harness-room, and there they remained in such seclusion that the rest of the farm soon forgot their existence. This act of removal was the first step in creating a force loyal to him alone, separate from the rest of the animal community.
Emergence and Use as Instruments of Power
The dogs first appeared as a fully formed weapon at the critical Sunday meeting when the windmill was to be put to a vote. Just as Snowball's eloquence had carried the animals away, Napoleon stood up, cast a peculiar sidelong look at Snowball, and uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before. At this signal, nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn and dashed straight for Snowball, who only just escaped their snapping jaws. They chased him across the long pasture, and he slipped through a hole in the hedge and was seen no more. The dogs then came bounding back and kept close to Napoleon; it was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to Mr. Jones. Immediately after Snowball's expulsion, Napoleon mounted the raised platform where Old Major had once stood and announced the end of the Sunday-morning Meetings. When four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval, the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs fell silent and sat down again. The dogs thus served both as the instrument of Snowball's violent expulsion and as the silent threat that crushed any immediate opposition to Napoleon's new order.
Role in the Purge and Enforcement of Terror
During the purge, the dogs became the direct agents of execution. When Napoleon ordered all the animals to assemble in the yard, he emerged from the farmhouse wearing both his medals, with his nine huge dogs frisking round him and uttering growls that sent shivers down all the animals' spines. He uttered a high-pitched whimper, and immediately the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the pigs by the ear, and dragged them squealing to Napoleon's feet. The pigs' ears were bleeding, the dogs had tasted blood, and for a few moments they appeared to go quite mad. Three of them even flung themselves upon Boxer, but Boxer caught one in mid-air and pinned him to the ground; Napoleon ordered Boxer to let the dog go. After the four pigs confessed, the dogs promptly tore their throats out. The dogs then slaughtered a goose, a sheep, and two other sheep who confessed to various crimes, all on the spot. The pile of corpses lay before Napoleon's feet, and the air was heavy with the smell of blood. The dogs were the physical embodiment of the terror that made the executions possible and that silenced any potential protest.
Guarding and Isolation of Napoleon
As Napoleon's rule consolidated, the dogs became his constant bodyguard, isolating him from the other animals. He rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the farmhouse, which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs. When he did emerge, it was in a ceremonial manner, with an escort of six dogs who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came too near. Four dogs guarded his bed at night, one at each corner, and a young pig named Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his food before he ate it, lest it should be poisoned. During the Battle of the Windmill, Napoleon's nine bodyguard dogs, whom he had instructed to make a detour under cover of the hedge, suddenly appeared on the men's flank, baying ferociously, and panic overtook the human attackers. The dogs thus served both as a protective barrier around Napoleon and as a tactical military unit.
Integration into the New Order
The dogs became a permanent feature of the farm's new hierarchy. On Sunday mornings, Napoleon, with Squealer and Minimus, sat on the front of the raised platform, with the nine young dogs forming a semicircle round them. During the Spontaneous Demonstrations, the dogs flanked the procession. The dogs also accompanied Squealer when he made his rounds to explain new policies, and their growling presence ensured that the animals accepted his explanations without further questions. The dogs were fed well: when Napoleon served out a double ration of corn to everybody after the Rebellion, he gave two biscuits for each dog, and later, when rations were reduced for everyone else, the dogs' rations were not cut. The dogs, along with the pigs, did not produce any food by their own labour, but their appetites were always good. They were the privileged enforcers of the new regime, living off the labour of the other animals while ensuring that no challenge to Napoleon's authority could arise.
