214 EXTRACTS FROM NOTE-BOOKS. CH. XXXIH. 



annoyed them or me by rushing out upon them as 

 we passed by the place, as he had always been in 

 the habit of doing before he received his drubbing. 



Unluckily, dogs, like men, will grow old and 

 deaf, and become a burthen to themselves and 

 others. Life is then no longer a matter of enjoy- 

 ment to them ; and the most merciful thing to do 

 is to have the poor animal shot. But we do not 

 always practise what we preach ; and although I 

 am quite convinced that having a dog killed when 

 old, infirm, and rheumatic is doing him a kindness, 

 I could never bring myself to order the execution 

 of any of my old canine friends. 



Hanging a dog is barbarous ; but when shot he 

 can feel but little pain, and he will be in the para- 

 dise — the " happy hunting-grounds " — of dogs 

 before lie hears the report of the gun which sends 

 him there, and he can have no anticipation, or only 

 for a moment, of what is about to be done to him. 

 I must admit, however, that I was once told, and 

 by a credible person, an anecdote which went to 

 impugn this theory. His dog having been con- 

 victed of sheep killing, he told a man to shoot him 

 the following morning. The dog was lying in the 

 room at the time, and apparently listening to the 

 conversation. Whether he understood it or not, 

 I will not pretend to determine ; but the very first 



