6o 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



Over\vr(iu(;ht Draft Drx; 



and fed. They cannot be compared with those There is more humanity in the attempts that 



martyred draft animals that we see, ill harnessed have been made to utilize the dog in various 

 and ill fed, in more than one civilized land," industries. Sometimes the end of a telephonic 



The Belgian draft dog, a model of strength cord is put into his mouth, and he climbs the 

 and health^ makes an exception to the above pole with it, thereby saving much labor. At 

 charge. Any one who has seen these dogs other times he turns the crank of the churn, for 



which the old-world peasant woman gives him 

 a good lump of liver as a reward. 



At a printing press in Plymouth a dog 

 named Gipsy turns a wooden wheel that sets 

 the press in motion ; he takes pleasure in his 

 work and is much more regular, and also 

 cheaper, than men employed in the same labor. 

 We must not forget to put in the class of use- 

 ful dogs those who take care of the blind. There 

 was one who for years attended his mendicant 

 master at one of the London railway stations, 

 and collected alms enough to make the poor man 

 comfortable. Later he was promoted to the rank 

 carrying round milk and vegetables in Brus- of assistant railway guard, because he always 

 sels must have been struck with the superiority announced to the station master by a short 

 of their harness over that used in the Low bark the approach of a train. 

 Countries and elsewhere. Holland, however, In short, the usefulness of these animals is 



is beginning to take more interest in the fate great and does not cease with their lives, for 

 of draft dogs ; and a society has recently been many are the kid gloves and the true clianiois 

 formed, establishing a tariff of distances and leather portfolios that are cut out of his skin, — 

 rewarding owners who can show 

 ofood care, good harness, and 

 good carts. We can only ap- 

 plaud such effort to put an end 

 to the martyrdom of draft dogs. 

 It is admitted that the large 

 herbivorous animals are more 

 fitted to draw and to carry than 

 the carnivorous animals. The 

 shape of a dog's foot is unfavor- 

 able to traction ; nor can a dog's 

 chest stand the effort, and a col- 

 lar is martyrdom to him. Their 



natural way of lorogression is 



, A Fine Team 



somewhat oblique, and the hind 



feet never step in line with the front ones. The unless, indeed, it has already been used to make 



back is strong to leap, but not to pull, and above beautiful heads of hair for dolls, or a charming 



all not to carry. Their shoulders are more de- set of furs. 



tached from the body than those of the horse. ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^,,^,^,. of Dogs 



And yet, in spite of these objections, the dog 



has been made a draft animal in many of the Nearly all dogs lend themselves readily to 



European countries. training ; there are only a few very backward 



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