Hiyall.  Dog hollows are a common feature of standing old houses here in
Arkansas.  Jeff Foxworthy has some joke about proving you're redneck
depending on how many dogs can fit under your porch at the same time.
Some dog hollows or wallers can get deep enough to look like root
cellars but the sides are too sloping for cellars.  Active dog wallers
are kept clean by dogs (cf. one under my mostly full-time parked utility
trailer). I've talked to older folks who say they used to even put brush
along the margins of the house between the perimeter foundation piers to
keep both dogs and chickens out from under the house.  As the personal
pet of 5 cats and a dog, I can tell you the nose gets used to anything
even in the late 20th century.  On the other hand, we had to do major
toxic fumigation under our house when we moved in, because the previous
owner's nasty dog had a major case of fleas, and said dog lived under
the house.  To me, two of the biggest differences between me and my
pioneer ancestorsare my more or less rational view of the universe, and
I don't have body lice and fleas and they did.  I think I'll go take a
shower.
 
Leslie C. Stewart-Abernathy
Arkansas Archeological Survey
Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, AR