116 A COUNTRY READER. 



COUNTRY DOGS. 



The Wild Dog. 



THE ancestors of our domesticated dog, the 

 wild dog, lived in communities or packs. And in 

 order that they might live in these packs, to the 

 best advantage to themselves, they were compelled 

 to obey certain unwritten dog laws. 



To be successful in hunting their prey, in 

 defending themselves against their enemies, in 

 protecting and rearing their off-spring, a set of 

 rules was a necessity. 



If you think, you will at once understand that 

 all animals that lived in herds, flocks, or packs, 

 were obliged to obey certain laws if the race 

 was to live and not die out. 



Every dog for himself, with no regard for his 

 companion dog, would soon have put an end to 

 the race of dogs. 



A number of dogs working in harmony and 

 rendering each other mutual aid would have a 

 much better chance of obtaining a supply than a 

 single dog hunting for itself. 



Moreover, a single dog hunting alone would 

 have had a poor chance of running down and 

 killing an animal much bigger than itself. 



But the largest animal, possessing the most 

 formidable horns, or the hardest kick, or the 



