300 DOGS : THEIR MANAOEMEKT. 



waistcoat, rub his little body against my head and face, 

 lick the hand lifted up to return his caresses, and then 

 scamper off, and perhaps not come near me again the 

 whole of that afternoon. What was this but an affec- 

 tionate impulse seeking a nervous development? The 

 way to manage an animal of this description is, to respect 

 his evident excitability. The instant a dog appears to 



A BABID DOG. 



be getting excited, there should be a sign given, com- 

 manding a stop to be put to all further proceedings. If 

 the respedt of the animal be habitual, the person who 

 mildly enforces it may enter a room, where the same dog 

 is in a rabid state, and come forth unscathed. 



I have hitherto been much among dogs, and, neverthe- 

 less, have almost escaped being bitten. The reason is, 

 that I understand and respect the innate nervousness of 

 the animal. When I go into a room, if there be a dog 

 there and he growl, I speak kindly to him, and then seat 

 myself, and bestow on him none of my attention for 

 some time. My request to his master or mistress is, that 

 he or she will not check or seek to stop the symptom of 



