Cant Dog, ca. 1850. Maine State Museum. Gift of Dale J. Butterworth, 2000.18.479.
Cant Dog, ca. 1850. Maine State Museum. Gift of Dale J. Butterworth, 2000.18.479.
Cant dogs, sometimes called cant hooks or swinging dingles, were early river drive tools. To cant, means to turn over. The hook grabbed the log so the handle could act as a lever to turn it. Although an important tool, a cant dog had a swinging hook that moved in any direction, making it difficult to maneuver and control the log.