52 



JODKNAL OF HOETICDLTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ July 17, 1873. 



he adds, remembering Shakepeare's words — 



" Then bey for horse and boot, lad, and ride the world away ; 

 Touug blood must have its course, lad, and tvi'rij dori his dfiy." 



Yes, and the more spirit the dog has the move eventful will 

 be his day. You and I, my good reader, may like repose and a 

 settled home, to sit in sunshine in our gardens during the sum- 

 mer, and be cozy by our firesides during the winter. Bat that 

 fine, ardent, energetic lad of nineteen will not rest here, but 

 must be off to ride over Australian plains. Well, be it so ; it is 

 all right, as saith a shrewd observer and wise man, whose letter 

 lies before me. " We should be a stagnant lot, if, Hke the Hin- 

 doos, we all kept in and around the paternal compound." So 

 " to horse and boot, lad; " let " the dog have his day," let him go 

 forth, and in future years he "^111 have more to talk of, more to 

 think over, and a brighter brain than the mere stay-at-home ; 

 for " Home-keeping youths have ever homely wits." 



Mark next how we use the term dog. We call the boy we are 

 proud of *' a fine dog," or "a rogue of a dog;" and men with 

 twinkling eyes and a poke in the ribs say to an old friend, " Oh, 

 yon sly dog." Then, " as kind as a dog," " as faithful as a dog." 

 We use the word " cur" reproachfully, but he is Uie lowest class 

 of dog, and has a nasty trick of biting the heels. He is the 

 exception to the rule. Why, even " Oh, you dog," is half praise. 

 What is an Englishman called ? " John BuD," surely from the 

 bulldog. We say of a bold plucky orator, " Ah ! he has so much 

 of the British bxilldog in him." 



I sometimes wish in my annual visit to the Koyal Academy, 

 that all those portraits of respectable round-faced gentlemen 

 ■who have had their likenesses taken to please their wives, or to 

 please their fellow-townsmen, or simply to add to the hereditary 

 pictures, often mere " tenth transmitters of a fooHsh face " — I 

 wish, so tiresome are they in the nnartistic black coat of the 

 day, that they were all put in one room, and that visitors could 

 go in if they chose (I wonder how many would choose) — I say I 

 wish this could be, and in their place were portraits of good 

 dogs (mark the good, if you please). How much more interest- 

 ing than the picture of Alderman Jones, " Presented to Mrs. 

 Jonea, in grateful acknowledgment of the services of the worthy 

 alderman in his spirited and successful endeavour to prevent 

 the railvvay station being nearer his native town than full two 

 miles." N.B. — This was actually done some years since. A 

 portrait gallery of gi*eat men by great artists — such as Rich- 

 mond's likeness of Lord SaUsbury in this year's Academy — end 

 good dogs would indeed be worthy of a visit. But there being 

 no picture gallery of dogs, I determined to go and see the lost 

 dogs at their Home. 



This Home was originally somewhere in Holloway, but is now 

 at Lower Wandsworth Road, Battersea Park. Wishing to pay 

 a call there, two friends of mine, bent on walking the distance, 

 inquired of a policeman as to the direction in which it lay. 

 PoUceman was a new one, and looked much flurried by the 

 question. "Home for lost Guards, sir. Yes, sir, all right, sir. 

 Take the second turning to the right, sir." Now that turning 

 led into St. James's Park, where, no doubt, many a gallant 

 guardsman has lost his heart, but scarcely lost himself. But, 

 then, new policemen are in such an awkward position ; as pohce- 

 men they are expected to know every place, but being new, 

 they do not know any, and they are ashamed of being thought 

 ignorant. The gi'eatest Enghshman of the last century, who, 

 by the way, had a deal of the bulldog in him, when asked by a 

 lady why he had given such a wrong meaning to a word in his 

 dictionary, triithfully answered, " From pure ignorance, ma- 

 dam." As it requires great courage sometimes to say " no," 

 so also it does to confess ignorance. Not being myself a walker, 

 I take the train at Victoria for York Road Station on the Lon- 

 don, Chatham, and Dover line, and in a very few minutes I am 

 there, passing close by Battersea Park, where in olden times 

 duels were frequently fought — then not a park, but a level dreary 

 plain called Battersea Fields, now made an interesting and by 

 no means dreary place, owing to the clever bead of a good 

 gardener. Battersea Park is one of the genuine improvements 

 around London ; and then think how much the finger of time 

 will add to the improvements, how trees and shrubs will grow, 

 and the whole place become each year more and more park- 

 like. Close to the station I find the Home; turning under an 

 arch I pass on, but stop to pet a sleek cat basking and happy 

 on a low wall, in spite of, and wholly indifferent to, the barkings 

 full in her ear and mine. The first thing that strikes me is the 

 cleanliness of everything ; aU the paths clean, the kennels clean, 

 the yards for exercise clean. 



I walk down the centre of the kennels, where on each side of 

 me, on low benches, are lying dogs of all varieties in different 

 compartments ; then these compartments open at the other end 

 (I walk down a conidor on either side of the kennels) into yards 

 wired-in, where in turns anumber of dogs are let out for exercise. 

 The separation is only a separation of sexes, not of sorts, save 

 that the spiteful dogs are confined in kennels in another part of 

 the yard. I was told that a great number of dogs are daily 

 brought to the Home, and some 25U to 300 are usually there. If 

 not claimed within a certain time they are for sale, with a due 



care that they are not bought by dealers. Anyone desirous of a 

 pet dog, and having a good judgment, or who can take one with 

 him who has, can procure an excellent dog at a small price. 

 Somefchiug like eight hundred were restored to their owners 

 during the year 1872. Here we see the value of the Home, for 

 the lost are found and welcomed home again. I own I expected 

 to find that the greater number would be little dogs, knowing 

 how many such are kept in London, but to my surprise they 

 were not small pet dogs which were so very numerous, but 

 larger dogs, and especially retrievers. A moment's reflection 

 put me right. They are not so much London dogs as country 

 dogs, who, like country folks, easUy get lost in the vast metro- 

 polis. Poor bumpkins ! they trotted off behind some vehicle ; 

 they would come to London, and, bumpkin-like, they get lost. 

 There are almost all varieties of dog, "puppy, whelp, and 

 hound," down to the very frequent " cur of low degree." I 

 noticed one bob-tailed shepherd dog, with his peculiar Long trot, 

 who seemed sorely puzzled as to where his sheep could possibly 

 have gone, and who trotted quickly and restlessly about the 

 yai-d, making friends with no one. He looked quite out of place. 

 I longed to see him in a tree-shadowed country lane with his 

 fleecy charge. Poor shepherd dog ! There were also a few grey- 

 hounds in the Home, but by no means at home ; and two Dal- 

 matians, like school plum-puddings, for their plums (spots) were 

 not plentiful. The many seemed happy enough, for they gam- 

 bolled and played, esiJecially the younger ones. Some were 

 nasty fellows — noisy, irritable, senselessly and continuously 

 barking. Some, a few, followed one round the wires, very desi- 

 rous of biting. Then there were the pleading-faced dogs, who 

 said as plainly as eye could say, "Do let me out, now, do!" 

 There were only a few very large dogs, and also only a few very 

 small. Here and there was a lady's pet, with a cloth coat to keep 

 him warm ; but I fear, as a rule, the Uttle dogs in London are not 

 lost but stolen. Some of the little ones lay on the benches 

 close to the larger, cuddling near them for wai'mth, a liberty 

 which the large ones did not seem to resent. There was the 

 over-fat bulldog, evidently the pet of the butcher's shop, so very 

 sleek and meaty. With me, or rather near me, in the corridor 

 was a roughish-looking man, who peered into every kennel, evi- 

 dently searching for a missing dog. Suddenly he called out, 

 " That be 'im, sir ; lor'^ bless 'e, sure enough that be little 

 Fanny." And within the bars was a httle crippled creature, 

 making with voice, and eye, and tail the strongest demonstra- 

 tions of alfection. Note, that rough-looking man was not rough 

 ail through. The very good ones were at the Home, as they are 

 everywhere, very few and far between, but some such there 

 undoubtedly were. 



The Home is worthy in every way of a visit, and deserves to 

 be well supported. Anyone curious in the characters of dogs 

 may get many a lesson, for points of character always come out 

 in a crowd. Thus, a hot-tempered man at once loses his temper 

 if he is in a crowd, while a sleek, easy-going, kindly-tempered 

 man seems even to enjoy it, and cares Uttle for the crush. Shrill- 

 tongued parchment-faced women are always unpleasantly de- 

 monstrative in a crowd. N.B. — Let a bachelor beware of a thin- 

 cheeked woman with only a sht for a mouth ; let such a one 

 have a pau* of fiery eyes, and you have the being ready to use 

 knife or poison. Rounded cheeks and rosy mouth imply kind- 

 ness. In the crowd of dogs you could see the sensual Barnard- 

 ine (see " Measure for Measure "), you could see the irritable 

 brute, you could see the very affectionate dog, you could see 

 the one pining for his own home, and the dog indifferent as to 

 where he was — a very citizen of the world. One started up and 

 thought he saw in me his master, but disappointment soon 

 shadowed his face, and he lay do^m with " He has not come 

 yet, I hope he will come soon " in bis mind. 



The manager showed me the various parts of the Home, and 

 with him and it I was pleased. It is a good place, the result of 

 kind thoughts towards the animals next to man in brain and 

 heart. You see in this Home one of the results of Christianity. 

 A Home for Lost Dogs ! How much better than the dog pit ! how 

 much better than the tin kettle tied to the tail of the poor 

 straying dog! how much better than the kicks and curses of 

 cruel men ! how much better than the stones of cruel boys ! Poor 

 weary, dirt-soiled dogs are fed and made comfortable, the weary 

 and the exhausted are rested and refreshed. Then there is now 

 hope that many a master or mistress who prizes dogs may have 

 them returned, and a favourite dog is, if lost, not only much 

 missed but much wanted. May the Home prosper, may its funds 

 increase, and so its means of usefulness be extended. A home 

 for the lost, but when there the lost are found. — Wlltshire 

 Rectob. 



Oxford Poultey and Pigeon Show. — His Royal Highness 

 Prince Leopold has consented to honour the Oxford Show with 

 Ms patronage, and has presented a silver cup, value £5, for the 

 best pen of Dorkings irrespective of colour. The Committee 

 intend having a class for Malays; the following gentlemen 

 having promised to subscribe for a cup — viz., Rev. N. J. Bid- 

 ley, 10s. ; Rev. A. G. Brooke, 10s. ; Mr. R. Hawkins, 10s. ; Mr. 



