280 



Nature-Study Agriculture 



The value 

 of dogs 



W. T. Stilling 



FIG. 227. A shepherd and his dog. In helping man to tend his herds the dog 

 has, from the earliest times, been of great economic value. 



country a hundred thousand sheep are each year killed 

 by dogs. 



Dogs. Although a few dogs acquire the bad habit 

 of killing sheep, the fact that these outlaws exist should 

 not spoil the reputation of dogs in general. The dog 

 has been man's friend so long that there is no record of a 

 time when it lived apart as a wild animal. It is known, 

 however, that wolves, foxes, and jackals can be tamed 

 if taken when young, and that many dogs in Alaska and 

 other countries where wolves are abundant have some 

 wolf blood. 



Both in town and country the right kind of dog, if 

 properly trained, will make himself useful as a guard at 

 night, as a pet, and as a destroyer of rats. The shep- 

 herd could not get along without his sheep dog (Fig. 

 227). Ten men could not make themselves as helpful 

 to him in controlling the flock. In war, specially trained 



