DOGS! THEIR MANAGEMENT. 27o 



The dog, I say, looks for its lady's tray with regularity, 

 besides having its own personal meal, and a bone or two 

 to indulge any odd craving between whiles. These 

 spoiled animals are, for the most part, old and bad tem- 

 pered. They would bite, but they have no teeth, and 

 yet they will wrathfully mumble the hand they are una- 

 ble to injure ; while the doting mistress, in alarm for her 

 favorite, sits upon the sofa entreating the beast may not 

 be hurt : begging for pity, as though it were for her own 

 life she were pleading. The animal during this is being 

 followed from under table to chair, growling and barking 

 all the time ; and showing every disposition, if it had but 

 ability, to do you some grievous bodily harm. At length, 

 after a chase that has nearly caused the fond mistress to 

 faint and you to exhaust all patience, the poor brute is 

 overtaken and caught ; but no sooner does your hand 

 touch the miserable beast, than it sets up a howl fit to 

 alarm the neighborhood. On this the hand is moved from 

 the neck to the belly, intending to raise the dog from the 

 ground ; but the howl thereon is changed to a positive 

 scream, when the mistress starts up, declaring she can 

 bear no more. On this you desist, to ask a few ques- 

 tions : " The dog has often called out in that manner? " 

 " O yes." " And has done so, no one being near or 

 touching it ? " " O yes, when quite alone." Thereupon 

 you request the mistress to call the animal to her ; and it 

 waddles across the carpet, every member stiff, its back 

 arched, and its neck set, but the eye fixed upon the per- 

 son who has been called in. 



