cover to the sheet music for “The Dog Polka”

Oswald Melichar composed “The Dog Polka” in 1852. The inspiration for this piano solo was, according to Melichar, “the falling down of a favorite lap dog from a table and thereby breaking his leg.”

Melichar, who also composed such memorable ditties as “Table Moving Schottischeems” and “Saloon Polka”, seemed most excited about Part 4 of the piece, which, he said, culminated with, “the laments of his mistress and the inarticulate sounds of the dog.”

For whatever reason, the composition failed to become an international blockbuster.

Source: Library of Congress