THIEVING DOGS AND HORSES 333 



monest everyday tasks which fall to the lot of every 

 collie. 



However, it is not only collies which can be taught to 

 steal, though, of course, dogs are like children, and some 

 of them learn much more quickly than others. Some 

 years after Millar's bad conduct had met with the reward 

 it deserved, a rich young man, living in Edinburgh, saw 

 a beautiful and clever little spaniel which took his fancy, 

 and he never rested until the owner had agreed to sell 

 it. The animal had been in his new home only a few 

 days when its master w r as astonished and shocked at its 

 bringing home a pair of new gloves, three silk handker- 

 chiefs, and, shortly after, a lady's gauze scarf. At first he 

 tried to believe this was an accident ; but as the collection 

 grew larger and larger, he soon understood that thieving 

 had formed the largest part of the dog's education, and 

 that most likely it would be quite impossible to cure the 

 animal of its bad ways, now that it had grown up. 



So, when the spaniel next began whining and sniffing 

 at the door, and showing all the usual signs of wanting 

 to go out for a walk, the young man took down his hat, 

 and turned into the streets, watching all the while what 

 his dog was doing, though very careful never to turn his 

 head in that direction. 



And what the dog did was very curious to see. It 

 loitered through the town in the purposeless way that 

 all dogs think is a proof of gentlemanly behaviour, 

 stopping every now and then either to speak to a friend, 

 or to examine something strange that lay in the gutter. 

 The young man walked steadily on, and entered a shop 

 where he was well known, telling the shopkeeper, hastily, 

 to take no notice if the dog should enter, as he would 

 of course pay for any of its robberies. He then began to 

 turn over some of the articles for sale, so that the 

 animal's suspicions might not be awakened if it came 

 in, which it presently did, in the same lounging, careless 

 manner that had marked its walk through the streets, 



