Chapter 3: “Am I my brother’s shepherd?”

Sheep Dog Trials for the Dog Society's Prizes (Elsternwick, 1883)

Welcome to my blog: The Canine Bible where I translate the book of Genesis as if God is humanity and humanity are dogs.

Did the story of Cain and Able always seem a bit unfair? I remember being told that Cain should have known that a blood sacrifice was what God would have wanted and not fruit and veggies. To me, God simply had preferences (more on that soon!). Favoritism is a big thing in religion and so too in the pet world. Also, I hope you enjoy the different dog breeds I gave to Cain’s descendants - I tried to be accurate to dog breeds from that particular area (as accurate as one can be when it comes to a dog translation of the Bible…)

As always, I’d love to hear your questions and thoughts! If you like what you are reading, check out my zines. Some of these chapters are illustrated!

1     The stud mated with the bitch and she became pregnant, giving birth to two pups. The first she called Cain saying, “With the gods’ help I have brought forth a dog.” To the second she called Abel.

2     Now Abel herded sheep but Cain was a digger. In the course of time Cain brought forth some of the bounty he had uncovered from the soil - bones, roots and dead vermin - as an offering to the gods. 

3     But Able brought in the flocks at night allowing the gods to easily slaughter and eat the fattest of lambs. The gods looked with favor on Abel and his abilities.

4     But on Cain and his abilities, the gods did not look on with favor. So Cain became angry and became snappy and growled.

5     The gods said to Cain, “Why are you so snappy? Why do you growl? If you do what is right, will you not be given treats? But if you do not do what is right, a chain is waiting by the door. It desires to have you, but you must master yourself.”

6     Now Cain barked to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were there, Cain attacked his brother and killed him.

7     Then the gods said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

8     “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s shepherd?”

9     The gods said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother still whimpers in a pool of blood in the field. Now you are under a curse. We shall send you out into the desert where digging is hard and rocky. When you dig, you will only uncover dust and you will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

10  Cain cried to the gods, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land and I will never again be in your presence. I will be a restless wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will think me a wolf and kill me.”

11  But the gods reassured him and said, “Not so. If anyone kills Cain, he will suffer a vengeance seven times over.” Then the gods tattooed the inside of Cain’s ear so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the god’s presence and lived east of the god’s community.

12  Cain mated with a bitch and she became pregnant and gave birth to a stud named Enoch. Cain was then driven to form a great pack for his son to lead. Enoch had a pup and that pup had another pup and that pup had another pup and that pup had a stud named Lamech who mated with two bitches named Adah and Zillah. Adah whelped Jabal who rejoined the gods and became the father of the cattle dog family. His brother, Jubal, also rejoined the gods and became the father of the New Guinea Singing Dogs.

13  Zillah also whelped a stud named Tubal-Cain who forged the first game of fetch.

14  Lamech said to his mates, “Bitches of the pack, listen to me. I have killed a dog for wounding me; a young pup for nipping at my hocks. If the gods will avenge Cain seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

15  The first stud and the first bitch coupled one another again and she whelped another stud and named him Seth saying, “The gods have granted me another pup in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

Seth also had a pup named Enosh but at this time, dogs began to grow wary of the gods.