FOREWORD TO CHILDREN 
NE of the greatest pleasures in keeping pets 
comes from giving them personal care. There 
is hardly any creature so dull that it does not learn 
to recognize the one who feeds and cares for it, 
and therefore comes to love this giver of all its 
comforts and necessities. 
You must realize that, in a way, you stand in the 
same relation to your pets as do your parents or 
guardians to you; and you can, perhaps, imagine 
how you would feel if your mother were too busy 
some morning to give you any breakfast, or your 
father too absorbed in his own affairs to furnish 
you with clothing or care. 
Your pets are helpless little creatures, absolutely 
dependent upon you; and any boy or girl who is 
a traitor to this trust, should receive like treatment 
from those upon whom he is dependent, so that he 
may learn how it feels to be neglected. If you 
forget to feed your caged pet some day, then you 
too should go without eating for a day, and dis- 
cover what the experience is like. Feeding your 
pets should be just as much a part of your morning’s 
routine as eating your own breakfast. 
You must remember that only a few pets like to 
be handled. The cat, dog, and some other domestic 
animals are accustomed to it; but to most creatures 
this experience seems dangerous, and they instinc- 
tively shrink from it. Thus, consideration for your 
pet will keep you from trying to handle it until 
it has gained so much confidence in you that it 
invites your caresses. 
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