See quotation.
1833. Two hundred dollars worth of dogs! said I to myself—two hundred dollars worth of dogs!!—What does that mean? Upon asking for an explanation, I found out that bonds, or promissory notes, were termed dogs—and they were said to be of a good or bad breed, according to the ability and punctuality of the obligor.—‘Sketches of D. Crockett,’ p. 121 (N.Y.). This use is obsolete.
