Huyton Huyton
Two dogs fightin…
One was a black one
and one was a white’n.
This is one of my earliest memories of a rhyme. I think it was one of my Uncles who first uttered this to me and to this day, whenever I hear this, it transports me back to my Grandad's house in Cartmell Road, looking across ‘The Alt’ towards ‘The Oak Tree’ pub, which still stands. This would have been in the late 1960’s.
I’ve heard numerous explanations, ideas and opinions on the origins of the rhyme. The consensus seems to be that the source is an altercation between an American soldier and a ‘local’ around the end of the Second World War.
Whatever the origin is, I’ve always thought the ‘Two Dogs’ represents the nearest thing Huyton has to its own folklore.
I’ve often used it as a source of inspiration during my art career. I come back to it repeatedly, using it to try out new ideas, techniques and materials. It’s helped me explore different ways of working in drawing, illustration, graphics, animation, ceramics and sculpture.
Shaun Taft. Huyton born artist.
