208 EVERYTHING ABOUT DOGS. 



is something behind the eye of a dog which draws to the heart. No animal is so 

 responsive to the humanizing effect as the dog. His idiosyncracies and tempera- 

 ment are, like those of man, much a matter of environment. Cuff him and treai 

 him generally as an Ishmael and he becomes one, treat him like so many are in 

 kennels nowadays, as a mere chattel to be housed and fed as one of a number 

 and he becomes a mere automaton; but treat him as a friend, as one of your 

 household and how soon the human influence is marked. His ideas are widened, 

 his intelligence develops and the many beautiful traits of a confiding, honest 

 nature which have earned him the title of man's best friend, are brought to the 

 surface. Though 'the society of man has a humanizing effect on our four-footed 

 friends, the dog himself in no less manner, through his transparent temperament 

 and honest actions may suggest and encourage the same traits in the budding 

 nature of his little friend. Every boy should own a dog. Josh Billings well said 

 'that in the whole history of the world there is but one thing that money cannot 

 buy, to wit: "The wag of a dog's tail." He might have added there is no animal 

 on God's earth who, in the honesty of his affection, will still love and wag his 

 tail for the hand which beats him. The love of Bill Sykes' dog for his brutal 

 master is one of the sublimes! thoughts Dickens ever conceived. 



The boy who is raised with a dog for a "pal" is unwillingly humanized. The 

 love for another is engendered in his heart, and afterward has its effect on his 

 conduct in the wide world of mankind. Be his nature cruel, more from thought- 

 lessness than any inherent feeling, if he is a lad worth his salt he cannot but 

 learn a lesson from the mild reproach of the brute he torments. 



A horse .would kick, a cat would bite or scratch under the same provocation; 

 not so the dog. There are exceptions, of course, but.no d6*g, we believe, is born 

 .savage; if he develops bad temper it is generally due to environment, and the 

 parent's judgment must be exercised in providing the right sort of dog for the 

 boy, as in other provisions for his welfare. A man may become a lover of dogs 

 when manhood's cares and responsibilities place the dog on the -same level as a 

 favorite pipe. He has missed something. He will not "get into" his dog as he 

 would have done as a boy. Once a dog lover always a dog lover, no matter 

 whether the circumstances of his after life compel him to love them from afar. 

 The dog is the better for it and so is the man. Buy your son a dog. H. W. L. 



HOW TO WASH A DOG. Use luke warm water in summer, -but in winter 

 it can be warmer. Wash almost any place in summer, except in a windy place; 

 but in winter do it in a warm room. A couple of baths a week in summer are 

 sufficient for health and cleanliness, and one bath a week is really just as good, 

 and, if you would give the dog in addition a brushing and grooming, I much prefer 

 this- plan. Once a month in winter is enough. 



Winter baths are risky, and great care should be exercised as to exposure to 

 wet or cold weather afterward. In giving a bath in cold weather do so in a warm 

 room, using warm water. Give him a good shampooing 'and nothing so good as 

 your hands using plenty of soap and rubbing it in so as to open the pores of the 

 skin, and then rinse off with lukewarm water. Avoid getting the soap suds into 

 the dog's eyes, or down too deep into his ears, and thoroughly dry the ears inside. 

 An old wool blanket (a clean one of course), is a good thing for the first drying, 

 finishing up with rough towels. Be sure and get the dog's head, neck and breast 

 dry, for here lies the danger of catching cold, and be careful as to exposure out 



