Augustan dogs

[Niall Martin]

Taking up Heikki's Augustan riff, does anyone know of any exegesis on
Johnson's women preaching/canine biped simile. Of all the things with which
a woman preaching could be likened why did Johnson seize on his dog -- was
it purely happenstance, or was there some Augustan mutt doing the rounds who
can be identified as a putative ancestor of the LED?

(Looking up the quote in order to try and answer my own question, I find
that it is dated July 31, 1763 -- wasn't that also the year of Pontiac and
the infected blankets?)

yours in synchronicity,

Niall Martin