TALKING DOGS 



IN HIS article on "Prehistoric Tele- 

 phone Days," that appeared in the 

 National Geographic Magazine 

 shortly before his death, Dr. Alexander 

 Graham Bell mentioned his early 

 efforts to teach dogs to talk. He 

 received two letters about talking dogs 

 from people who have been more suc- 

 cessful, and they have an added 

 interest at the present time. Perhaps 

 someone will be inspired by these 

 pioneer successes to develop a race of 

 talking dogs by the selection of a strain 

 with unusual linguistic ability. It 

 has been suggested that the develop- 

 ment of a race of unusually appreciative 

 owners would also be necessary. 



Anyone who has owned an intelligent 

 dog or horse knows that man's best 

 animal friends all but talk. They can 

 express a great variety of emotions 

 and ideas without the use of spoken 

 words, so that it is but a step to the 

 use of the more convenient method of 

 vocal expression, editor. 



Toronto, Canada, 

 May 17, 1922. 

 My dear Dr. Bell, 



A few days ago a copy of 'The 

 National Geographic Magazine" was 

 sent to me by some friends in Ottawa, 

 who, having read the paragraph on 

 teaching a dog to speak from your 

 article "Prehistoric Telephone Days," 

 were very anxious that I should write 

 and tell you about a rather ex- 

 traordinary dog of mine. 



He is a black Spaniel, which I 

 rescued one day some seven years 

 ago, and ever since he has looked upon 

 me as his special property and charge. 



As he is extremely fond of anything 

 to eat, he always made the most 

 terrific noises in his throat when sitting 

 up to beg, keeping this up until he 

 got what he wanted. Then one day, 

 so clearly that everyone in the room 

 recognized it, he made a sound which 

 distinctly was, "Jus' a crumb," rolling 

 the "r" in the crumb like a perfect 

 little Frenchman. His name just 

 happens to be "Noieand." 



We all made a tremendous fuss over 

 him, gave him what he wanted, then 

 offered him something else to see if he 

 could do it again. He carried on in 

 this way for about two months, some- 

 times he would say it and sometimes 

 he wouldn't, but whenever he did he 

 got his "Crumb," likewise a great deal 

 of fussing and petting. 



At the end of about two months he 

 began to realize, that this noise brought 

 him whatever he wanted, and of his 

 own accord would come running out the 

 room, sit up on his little hind legs and 

 say "Jus' a Crumb" over and over 

 again, sometimes if he were excited, 

 adding "a crumb, a crumb" at the 

 end. He did this the first time when 

 we gave him some maple syrup on 

 bread, he thought he was just getting 

 plain bread, and when he tasted the 

 maple syrup, swallowed it whole 

 jumped up on his hind legs and posi- 

 tively screamed "Jus' a Crumb, a 

 crumb, a crumb, a crumb, a crumb," 

 four times. 



Very often in the afternoon, after the 

 tea things have been carried out of the 

 dining-room, we hear the little speech 

 being made, and looking into the room, 

 we see him sitting with his nose just 

 on a level and about three inches 

 removed from the second shelf of the 

 curate talking away in the hope that 

 someone will give him a crumb. He 

 is really very honorable and would 

 never touch anything as was proved 

 on one occasion when he was shut up 

 in a room for two hours with a plate 

 which had three little cakes on it and 

 which someone had left on a chair just 

 the height of his nose. He was lying 

 down beside the chair when I went in, 

 but as soon as he saw me, jumped up 

 and started saying what he wanted. 



We notice that when he makes the 

 noises which form this phrase, he rolls 

 his tongue up over his nose, and the 

 further up he rolls it the more distinct 

 the words. 



My Aunt, "Marshall Saunders," the 

 author of "Beautiful Joe," who is of 



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