100 
A Defence of the Dog . 
[February, 
encounter with a dog is to show the least atom of white 
feather ; yet to any person of highly nervous temperament, 
or one unaccustomed to command animals, it is doubtless 
very difficult to sustain an attack wtthout flinching. The 
instindf of predatory animals is that of pursuit, as seen in 
their young, which pounce on or follow up any objedt, 
animate or inanimate, which retreats from them. Cats and 
dogs will often appear indifferent to the presence of a rat in 
a confined space, though keen and clever enough at seizing 
them when running off in the open. It is this instindf of 
pursuit that makes it so natural for a dog to run after a stick 
or stone, so that the only parts of the fetch-and-carry trick 
that needs much education is the returning to the master 
and relinquishing the missile. Hence it is that the least 
retrograde movement in the presence of a canine enemy is 
so dangerous. And in view of these fadts and considera- 
tions, I cannot but think that the great majority of those who 
get seriously bitten, owe it, in part at least, to their igno- 
rance of dog-nature. The observance of a few rules will save 
most adults, under ordinary circumstances, from being bitten ; 
such as: “ Stand your ground resolutely and speak boldly to the 
dog “ Do not pat a strange dog till you have held out your 
hand to him and seen that he receives it in a friendly man- 
ner, and then, if he does not lick it or wag his tail, leave him 
alone;” above all, “ Never touch any dog while sleeping , as they 
undoubtedly dream of hunt and combat, and the touch, 
howe\er friendly and gentle, may take the shape of an attack 
or menace from their visionary antagonist, and thus induce 
them to snap in its direction before fully awake.” Now, even 
as we must learn by experience the physical properties of sur- 
rounding objects, it surely is not too much to expecSt, even from 
the “ average man,” some knowledge of dog-nature. I quite 
fail to see why a man who, through his ignorance of dog- 
nature gets bitten, has any more claim upon our sympathy 
than the man who, through ignorance of gas-nature, gets 
burnt or blown to pieces. We pity both, doubtless, but 
while we say, “ What a fool to go near an escape with a 
candle !” why should we not say, “ What a fool to touch a 
sleeping dog !” Tne greatest difficulty is with children, who 
almost invariably display towards animals a perilous intre- 
pidity or a still more perilous timidity. Yet there are dogs 
who will suffer themselves to be pulled about by children 
with an amount of patient endurance not excelled by that of 
the best-natured bachelor uncle. 
But we must return to the question of canine utility, which 
apart from that of those in which it is universally and legally 
