198 EVERYTHING ABOUT DOGS. 



such favors shown by asking my agent, and you can no doubt do the same from 

 your agent, whom you probably know or he knows you. To have dog taken out 

 you must have a door so they can do as requested. By arranging this way, your 

 dog is reasonably assured of some comfort added to his long and hard trip. The 

 greatest clanger of these long trips are from inflammation of the kidneys or 

 bowels, due to not emptying, and this almost always the result if a dog "holds 

 in" for over twenty-four hours, wh'ieh is even too long for safety. Now as to 

 the box, which must be made right. If dog is to go in fall or winter, or any 

 season subject to quick changes, unless you have a "BACKUS" CRATE, which are 

 the very best of all, then fix your box as follows: 



Make your box the height of dog at his shoulder, as long as his body and 

 head and just wide enough so he can turn around by bending his body, and he 

 will be comfortable, as a box- too large as just as bad. Make it open on the sides 

 and top for air, but have the lower half of each side and end lightly closed so that 

 the dog when lying down is not exposed to draught, as they are often kept outside 

 in a depot open at end, on a truck, and thus right in a draught, and having 

 come from a warm car, the natural result would be a cold or perhaps pneumonia. 

 I always have request sent on ahead, on a winter trip, to "please keep inside 

 where warm at any lay overs," and this you can have done also. 



Give him plenty of straw in his box if in winter. Make box on top like the 

 roof of a house so that there is no danger of his being smothered as he could be 

 perhaps if box was square, by express messenger putting him in a corner and 

 another box or trunk on the top and sides of his box, thus depriving him of air. 

 Make box so there is no danger of this happening. Fasten by nailing inside box, 

 in one corner, a tin cup or pan, about right distance up, then spend a nickel for 

 another tin cup and fasten this one on the outside of his box by a string or wire, 

 so that there is no excuse for the express messenger not doing what all shippers 

 pay express companies double rates for doing caring for dogs en route. Express 

 cars seldom have any water in them (the messenger himself when thirsty going 

 back to the next coach for his drink) and this tin cup tied on outside and a 

 written request tacked on box, "Please water often," leaves it easy for him to 

 bring the dog a drink, the facilities being handy. Did you ever notice how often 

 in traveling in hot weather you will visit the water cooler? 



NEVER START A DOG ON A FULL STOMACH; the motion of the car would very 

 likely make him sick and cause him to throw up what he had eaten, soiling his 

 box and himself as well. 



x The night you are to ship dog give him a fair meal that afternoon, and an 

 hour before he is to leave take him out for a walk of a half dozen blocks or 

 more, and he will be sure to attend to nature's calls. If you start dog on a 

 morning train, get up early enough that morning to attend to this before he 

 leaves. Then offer him a drink before he starts 1 and thus he leaves with an 

 empty stomach and will have a much more comfortable trip than if he started 

 after having had a full meal. Many house-broken dogs will "hold in" and will 

 not do anything in t,he\ir traveling box, which will cause inflammation of the 

 bowels or kidneys. Better for the dog if it did break the rule for this time. Pup- 

 pies of course are not so systematic and generality get through better if suitably 

 crated. , 



Now make a prominent sign like this and tack it on top of box: 



AN "OPEN LETTER" FROM A DOG, 

 MB, MESSENGEB My name is I am cm a hard, long trip, and can 



