xtv PE,T DOGS i2g 



Having for many years been a great collector of living pels, 

 there is always a vast number of these hangers-on about the 

 house — some useful, some ornamental, and some neither the 

 one nor the other. 



Opposite one window of the room I am in at present are a 

 monkey and five dogs basking in the sun, a bloodhound, a 

 Skye terrier, a setter, a Russian poodle, and a young Newfound- 

 land bitch, who is being educated as a retriever ; they all live 

 in grea!t friendship with the monkey, who is now in the most 

 absurd manner searching the poodle's coat for fleas, lifting up 

 curl by curl, and examining the roots of the hair. Occasionally, 

 if she thinks that she has pulled the hair, or lifted one of his 

 legs rather too roughly, she looks the dog in the face with an 

 inquiring expression to see if he is angry. The dog, however, 

 seems rather to enjoy the operation, and showing no symptoms 

 of displeasure, the monkey continues her search, and when she 

 sees a flea catches it in the most active manner, looks at it for 

 a moment, and then eats it with great relish. Having ex- 

 hausted the game on the poodle, she jumps on the back of the 

 bloodhuund bitch, and having looked into her face to see how 

 she will bear it, begins a new search, but finding nothing, goes 

 off for a game at romps with the Newfoundland dog. While 

 the bloodhound bitch, hearing the voice of one of the children, 

 whom she has taken a particular fancy to, walks off to the 

 nursery, the setter lies dozing and dreaming of grouse ; while 

 the little terrier sits with ears pricked up, listening to any 

 distant sounds of dog or man that she may hear ; occasionally 

 she trots ofT on three legs to look at the back door of the house, 

 for fear any rat-hunt or fun of that sort may take place without 

 her beingf invited. Why do Highland terriers so often run on 

 three legs? particularly when bent on any mischief? Is it to 

 keep one in reserve in case of emergencies ? I never had a 

 Highland terrier who did not hop along constantly on three 

 legs, keeping one of the hind-legs up as if to rest it. 



The Skye terrier has a great deal of quiet intelligence, learn- 

 ing to watch his master's looks, and understand his meaning in 

 a wonderful manner. Without the determined blind courage 

 of the English bull terrier, this kind of dog shows great intre- 

 pidity in attacking vermin of all kinds, though often his courage 

 is accompanied by a kind of shyness and reserve ; but when 



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