24 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



composed of 260 clogs, and the attendants of 

 the hunt numbered in all 491. At the begin- 

 ning of the next century the pace became 

 slower, for the king was obliged to follow the 

 hunt in a carriage; dogs were 

 then trained to run slower, which 

 compelled the breeders after a 

 time to resort to crossings with 

 English mongrels. Since then 

 the breed of French hunting- 

 dogs has been scattered among 

 all sorts of secondary species, of 

 which at least a dozen now exist. 

 Tlic professor doi^. He who 

 has always been a professor in 

 the society of dogs is, undoubt- 

 edly, the poodle ; and if ever dogs 

 attain unto speech, the poodle 

 will be the first to inform us. It 

 remains to be seen whether a new 

 language (and that a dog lan- 

 guage) is desirable ; or whether 

 a certain French judge was not 

 right when he told some friends that he alwa^'s 

 pla\'ed an hr)ur with his dogs after a long court 

 session, "because," he said, "I had listened 



Wurr 



l')I,.\rK POODI^E 



to SO many dull and prolix speakers that I 

 needed to rest myself with intelligent animals 

 who did n(jt speak." 



The poodle is a very docile animal, much in de- 

 mand therefore by Punch and Judy and acrobats. 

 It was a poodle who posted himself with 

 nuiddy feet at the corner of a certain street in 

 Paris, and stepped upon the pol- 

 ished boots of the passers, where- 

 upon his master, producing his 

 blacking box asked, " Shall I 

 clean them, sir.?" It was like- 

 wise a poodle who fetched four 

 rolls daily from the baker. One 

 da}', however, he returned with 

 onl}' three, although the baker 

 had certainly put four into the 

 basket. The next day and the 

 third day the same thing hap- 

 |)ened ; the poodle brought back 

 onl)- three rolls. He was then 

 watched, and was seen to turn 

 into a side street and stop before 

 a stable. In that stable was a 

 mother dog with puppies a few 

 da)-s old. The poodle carefully 

 took out one oA the rolls and laid it before 

 her ; then he galloped home hurriedly with 

 the other three. 



If the poodle could talk, — that is, zoJicn 

 he does talk, — we shall find out how and why 

 the mind of his particular race is so devel- 

 oped ; so far we are ignorant on the subject. 

 Poodles were formerh' true water span- 

 iels, and they can still swim very well. 

 They are, probably, distantly related to 

 the long-haired watchdogs of the steppes. 

 Their hair is curled or crimped ; a \-ariety, 

 latel)' introduced, has long hair hanging in 

 locks about the face. The poodle always 

 walks with measured steps, as if he were 

 returning from his dancing lesson. Black, 

 white, or brown, without any mixture of 

 shades, are the colors demanded by the 

 fanciers of this animal ; the nose, howe\-er, 

 must be black, the tail never curled, the 

 lips black, the back strong, short, and 

 slightly sloping. He is in all respects a 

 domestic animal and a faithful guide, and is 

 hardened to a northern climate ; he never yaps 

 and is never turbulent. 



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