For byron, a lifelong dog enthusiast and owner, the poem marks the true despair this darkness has wrought upon the world by stating: “even dogs assail’d their masters” (line 47). however, there was one exception to this, what was it? one faithful dog refused to look for food, because to do so would mean abandoning his dead master’s corpse. one pack of dogs were left serving military soldiers, trying to get back home. the speaker of the poem found encouragement watching a few dogs playing with children. when all the domesticated dogs had turned on their masters, wild dogs were trained and used as pets instead.