The sculpture-fountain "Dogs" is placed next to the building that had housed the 19th century Horse Post Office. The artwork was inspired by a legend about French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's nighttime visit in Kaunas' Old Town: when the Tsar's Cossacks approached, the guard dogs began barking. They rescued the emperor, who had managed to escape in time.
There is another side to the story. According to legend, the Great Danes kept a 24-hour watch. Even if the knight had a woman nearby, the hounds would not allow her to approach the master. When the dinner arrived, the dogs ate it and perished. The food was poisoned. So these two Great Danes saved Emperor Napoleon's life as well as the reputation of Kaunas, Lithuania. Otherwise, we would have become known throughout history as the Emperor's poisoners.
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