Ricky (dog)

Ricky was a dog who received the Dickin Medal in 1947 from the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals for bravery in service during the Second World War.

Military service

During the Second World War, Ricky, a Border Collie/Old English Sheepdog cross, was purchased by the father of Sheila Litchfield-Stander for seven shillings and six pence in Hastings while he was on Home Guard duty. The dog had previously been owned by a family who found themselves destitute. Soon afterwards, the Litchfield family moved to Sedlescombe, and again in 1941 they moved to Kent near to Biggin Hill airbase. After suffering from food shortages due to the ongoing rationing, Ricky was offered to the War Office to become a war dog.

He was assigned to Maurice Yielding during his military service after graduating from the War Dogs Training School at Northaw in Hertfordshire. Yielding and Ricky were assigned to the 279th Field Company, Royal Engineers of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. In December 1944, they were in the Netherlands where they were assigned to mine clearance along the canals near Nederweert. His handler would send letters home to his family, but they found out the duo's most famous action through a mention in dispatches. On 3 December 1944, Ricky found a number of land mines on the canals. During the process of mine clearing, his section commander was killed and Ricky himself suffered serious head injuries. Yielding expanded on this, saying that he and Ricky were both within 3 feet (0.91 m) of the mine when it exploded, and were in the middle of a mine field. Despite this, the pair continued to clear the mines from the surrounding area.

Dogū

Dogū (土偶)(meaning "clay figures") are small humanoid and animal figurines made during the late Jōmon period (14,000–400 BC) of prehistoric Japan. Dogū come exclusively from the Jōmon period. By the Yayoi period, which followed the Jōmon period, Dogū were no longer made. There are various styles of Dogū, depending on exhumation area and time period. According to the National Museum of Japanese History, the total number found throughout Japan is approximately 15,000. Dogū were made across all of Japan, except Okinawa. Most of the Dogū have been found in eastern Japan and it is rare to find one in western Japan. The purpose of the Dogū remains unknown and should not be confused with the clay haniwa funerary objects of the Kofun period (250 – 538).

Origins

Some scholars theorize the Dogū acted as effigies of people, that manifested some kind of sympathetic magic. For example, it may have been believed that illnesses could be transferred into the Dogū, then destroyed, clearing the illness, or any other misfortune.

Dog in Chinese mythology

Dogs are an important motif in Chinese mythology. These motifs include a particular dog which accompanies a hero, the dog as one of the twelve totem creatures for which years are named, a dog giving first provision of grain which allowed current agriculture, and claims of having a magical dog as an original ancestor in the case of certain ethnic groups.

Myth versus history

Chinese mythology is those myths found in the geographic area called China, which of course has evolved and changed throughout its history. These include myths in Chinese and other languages, as transmitted by Han Chinese as well as other ethnic groups (of which fifty-six are officially recognized by the current administration of China). (Yang 2005:4)

In the study of historical Chinese culture, many of the stories that have been told regarding characters and events which have been written or told of the distant past have a double tradition: one which tradition which presents a more historicized and one which presents a more mythological version.(Yang 2005: 12-13) This is also true of some accounts related to mythological dogs in China.

Dog meat

Dog meat refers to the flesh and other edible parts derived from dogs. Historically, human consumption of dog meat has been recorded in many parts of the world, including East and Southeast Asia, West Africa, Europe, Oceania and the Americas.

In the 21st century, dog meat is consumed in many parts of China,Korea and Vietnam, parts of Switzerland, as well as parts of Europe, Americas, the African continent, such as Cameroon, Ghana and Liberia.

Today, a number of cultures view the consumption of dog meat to be a part of their traditional and day-to-day cuisine, while others - such as Western culture - consider consumption of dog to be a taboo, although they have been consumed in times of war and/or other hardships. It was estimated in 2014 that worldwide, 25 million dogs are eaten each year by humans.

Dog breeds used for meat

Nureongi

The Nureongi (Korean: 누렁이) is a yellowish landrace from Korea. Similar to other native Korean dog breeds, such as the Jindo, nureongi are medium-sized spitz-type dogs, but are larger with greater musculature and a distinctive coat pattern. They are quite uniform in appearance, yellow hair and melanistic masks. Nureongi are most often used as a livestock dog, raised for its meat, and not commonly kept as pets.

Ricky

Ricky may refer to:

Places

Persons

Film and television

Music

Others

See also

Ricky (album)

Ricky is the solo debut album by actor and singer Ricky Nelson, released in November 1957. Much of the album is in the pop-rock genre, focusing mostly on standards. It has since been re-issued on iTunes.

Track listing

Reception

Reception at the time of release is unknown. A recent review by Allmusic said that it is "derivative" but that "he also sang rhythmically in his smooth voice, negotiating the rock & roll beat with far greater ease than Pat Boone" and that "the 17-year-old continued to display the combination of natural pop instincts and genuine rock & roll feel that set him apart from the burgeoning pack of Elvis Presley imitators"

Ricky (song)

"Ricky" is a 1983 song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the 1982 song "Mickey" by Toni Basil. The song focuses on the show I Love Lucy, and ends with a segment of the theme from the show.

A music video was created for the song; it was Yankovic's first. According to the liner notes in the compilation DVD "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection, it "was arguably the first comedy video ever shown on MTV".

Track listing

Music video

The music video was directed by Janet Greek. It was filmed mostly in black and white and parodies the I Love Lucy television show. Yankovic plays the part of Ricky Ricardo, complete with affected Cuban accent. Yankovic appears minus his mustache and glasses, and with his hair slicked back, to more closely resemble Desi Arnaz. He is also seen briefly in several scenes as himself with his band, playing the accordion and sporting his normal mustache and curly hair. Tress MacNeille plays the part of Lucy, giving an impression of Lucille Ball's somewhat raspy voice and her usual shticks such as her unique way of crying.