Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Dogs and the Hides explained
A group of starving dogs, unable to reach hides steeping in a deep river, decide to drink the river dry.
What happens
A group of starving dogs, unable to reach hides steeping in a deep river, decide to drink the river dry. They drink until they burst, illustrating the folly of attempting the impossible.
Themes in this chapter
Wisdom and Foolishness
The dogs' plan to drink the river is a foolish attempt to achieve an impossible goal, leading to their destruction.
Perseverance and Effort
The dogs show misguided perseverance, applying effort without wisdom, which results in failure.
Characters to notice
- The Dogs
A group of famished dogs who attempt to drink a river dry to reach hides, but burst in the process.
Key passages
“So they put their heads together, and decided to drink away at the river till it was shallow enough for them to reach the Hides.”
The dogs conspired to drink the river dry so they could get the hides.
Highlights the dogs' flawed reasoning and collective decision-making.
“But long before that happened they burst themselves with drinking.”
They drank so much that they exploded before the river level dropped.
Emphasizes the disastrous consequence of their foolish plan.