Irenaeus Fable 96: Canis et Asinus, Socii

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is De Cane et Asino, the story of a dog who recruited a donkey as his ally in the war with the wolf. This is a funny little story that I have not seen anywhere else that I can remember; is anybody familiar with other sources for this story?

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Canis domesticus, de eorum genere quos vocant molossos, bellum gerens cum lupo, cum se viribus imparem crederet, socium pugnae sibi asciscendum putavit; et contemplatus de vicino Asinum, praegrandi corpore instructum, voce, tonitrui instar, rudentem, clitellis, velut thorace, armatum, inde reputans strenuum et bellicosum, rogavit in consortium pugnae, et, ut sperabat, certae victoriae. Acceptam habet invitationem Asinus, promittit se non defuturum. Ergo tali commilitone Canis factus audacior, provocat Lupum. Is descendit in arenam, sed ubi eum eminus conspexit Asinus, sine mora, proripit se e lycaeo et, concito cursu, horribiliter rudens et prae timore crepitans ac stercorans omnia, fugae praesidium sumit. Quod advertens Canis, et ipse fugit, dicens, Heu me infortunatum! Putavi Achillem habere, et inveni Thersitem. Certe a specie externa de quoquam minime est iudicandum.

Canis domesticus,
de eorum genere
quos vocant molossos,
bellum gerens cum lupo,
cum
se viribus imparem
crederet,
socium pugnae
sibi asciscendum
putavit;
et
contemplatus de vicino
Asinum,
praegrandi corpore instructum,
voce, tonitrui instar, rudentem,
clitellis, velut thorace, armatum,
inde reputans
strenuum et bellicosum,
rogavit
in consortium pugnae,
et, ut sperabat, certae victoriae.
Acceptam habet invitationem
Asinus,
promittit
se non defuturum.
Ergo
tali commilitone
Canis factus audacior,
provocat Lupum.
Is descendit in arenam,
sed ubi
eum eminus conspexit
Asinus,
sine mora,
proripit se e lycaeo
et,
concito cursu,
horribiliter rudens
et prae timore crepitans
ac stercorans omnia,
fugae praesidium sumit.
Quod advertens Canis,
et ipse fugit,
dicens,
Heu me infortunatum!
Putavi Achillem habere,
et inveni Thersitem.
Certe
a specie externa
de quoquam
minime est iudicandum.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source), here's a funny picture of a real donkey-and-dog pair:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.