Jussi TwoSeven’s fresco illustrates a historical event involving dogs, in the heart of the forest between Switzerland and France. Le Locle has the distinction of being a frontier town, and this frontier is formed by the river Doubs, which winds its way between the cliffs and the forest.

In the 17th century, smuggling flourished here at a big scale, to escape taxes on products such as salt, sugar, coffee, tobacco, faabrics (lace and cloth), gunpowder, matches, playing cards and, of course, gold watches. It all happened under the trees… At the time, this was a means of subsistence to improve the daily income of a large part of the population, condemned to poverty and precariousness.

To avoid customs officers, smugglers used trained dogs as cargo carriers. The dog was taken to an accomplice on the other side of the border. There, he was kept for a day or two without food; then goods were tied around his neck and body, and he was released in the middle of the night. The hungry animal hurried across the border to return to its master. The dogs were fitted with collars and even small saddles, bristling with spikes so that customs officers could not seize them.