140 ] Animal Friends and Helpers 



plus the lightness of its foot pads, make it an admirable jumper. 

 But the cat's claws, excellent though they are for grasping and 

 fighting, are pulled in and thus afford no protection to running 

 feet. 



Docs HAVE HEARTY APPETITES 



Nowadays we generally feed our dog pets daintily with bits 

 of food cut up in approved civilized fashion; but they are still 

 capable of gulping down large chunks. A friend of mine who takes 

 his dog with him on hunting trips has learned to be alert in 

 picking up a rabbit after the kill; on several occasions the hound 

 arrived first and swallowed the rabbit whole! Not only can dogs 

 swallow in bulk; they digest the food without any trouble. 



Your child may point to the dog as an example of why he 

 need not chew his food. In that case you can explain the inter- 

 esting difference in the shape of the teeth which drastically alters 

 the case. Where we have molar teeth fitted for grinding (and 

 hence chewing), the dog has molars that are more suited for 

 cutting. Watch him work on a bone, gnawing first with the back 

 teeth on one side and then on the other. His canine teeth, like 

 those of the wolf, are his chief weapons. 



How Docs TALK 



A dog has feelings of affection, anger, fear, jealousy, sor- 

 row, and joy; he can express all of them by his voice. He whines 

 when he is afraid, growls when angry, and sometimes yips for 

 sheer joy. His bark is expressive of defiance or excitement. He 

 has still another medium of expression in his tail: It wags when 

 he is happy and wants to express friendliness, stands stiff when 

 he is angry, and droops between his legs when he is dejected or 

 ashamed. Sometimes in the theater you see "talking dogs" ani- 

 mals that have been taught to answer questions with barks that 

 approximate responses. Actually any intelligent dog needs little 

 training before you can say of him, "He all but talks." 



WHEN A CHILD FEARS DOGS 



Parents who are dog enthusiasts are often disconcerted to 

 find that their children fear these animals. Experiments tend to 



