337 



PET ANIMALS. 



THE DOG. 



IN prosperity, in adversity, alike true to his master, come weal, 

 come woe, is that faithful friend and engaging companion the dog. 

 He is as true to the beggar boy in his tatters and his hunger, as he 

 is to the gentlemanly youth, who can feed him on the fat of the 

 land. Let him but find a kind master, and nothing but death will 

 divide this faithful animal from him; nay, he has been known to lie 

 days and nights on the grave of his dead master, and never more to 

 be persuaded to taste food; but through rain and cold, light and 

 darkness, remain there until he died. The love of father or mother 

 could not go beyond this, it is the " utmost bound of sorrow." 

 What weary miles he will follow his master, no murmur, no com- 

 plaint; a kind word, and there is that warm, old, pleasing wag of 

 the tail, and he has his feet on your knee in a moment. Was there 

 ever a boy born that did not love a dog? Then he is so full of play, 

 too, quite as fond of it as any boy can be ; so that the boy who has 

 a dog has always got a playfellow, and a good-tempered one too, 

 who will not sulk and quarrel if a cross word is spoken to himi 

 And how fond he is of children ; we hardly ever remember a thorough- 

 bred dog biting a child; some cross between a dirty- bred- kennel-and 

 dust-bin one might; a mangy, surly cur, but never your fine clean- 

 built, bright-eyed, thorough-bred dog. 



Then if they see you put your hat or cap on, to go out for a walk, 

 how they bark and bound with delight, as if to say that they shall 

 enjoy the ramble quite as much as you will. Then, what a hunt he 

 will have in every hedge and ditch; you hear a water-rat go "plop" 

 here, and see a weasel running off there, and when they escape he 

 comes barking to tell you, as well as he can, how annoyed he is that 

 he couldn't catch one of them to place at your feet. Then he is so 

 faithful, too, if well trained ; leave him what you will to guard, and 

 tell him to " mind it," and whether only an old rag, or a purse of 

 gold, he will only part from it by sacrificing his life, until he gives it 

 up to his master. To write the history of the dog, and tell all we 

 know and have heard of him, would be to fill this volume, and then 

 we should not have said half enough about him. He can do almost 

 everything but talk ; and there are instances on record where he has 

 almost done that where he has whined and dragged at the skirts of 

 his master's coat, to draw his attention either to something that had 

 happened, or would have happened but for his timely discovery. 



