i88i.j 
A Defence of the Dog . 
ioi 
acknowledged, we still maintain to be very great. Take, for 
instance, a class of dogs which one might at first sight be 
tempted to rank as useless, viz., little pet dogs. Yet it is 
stating the case very moderately to say that these dogs in 
the aggregate constitute as great a protection to house- 
holders and their property as do the whole of the police 
force. They are the one guardian element (when kept inside 
of course) which the burglars cannot overcome or tamper 
with. Personally, if I had to choose betwixt having a police- 
man within half a mile (I am referring to the country) and a 
dog within my house, I should not hesitate a moment to eleCt 
to take the dog, which both as a deterrent and a preventive 
I should expeCt to prove the more effectual. Seldom or 
never do the police prevent or deteCt in progress a burglary 
which has been determined upon by the professors of that 
art, whereas the first yelp of a pettish terrier sounds the knell 
of the robber’s hope. Moreover, the value of such dogs in 
this respeCt arises from their highly excitable and even irri- 
table natures, and one that is uniformly friendly and good- 
natured is all but useless. Hence, undoubtedly, this class is 
responsible for a great deal of the biting that takes place, 
yet it would seem manifestly unjust to visit a single offence 
of this kind capitally on a dog as it would be to shoot a horse 
for throwing his rider, or running off with a carriage in a 
crowded thoroughfare. 
Even with regard to the large watch-dogs, although the 
professional burglar can doubtless deal with them only too 
efficiently, still, while they are always an additional obstacle 
even to him, they are certainly a great protection to gardens 
and orchards from the inroads of petty thieves. They like- 
wise constitute the most effective guardians a lady walking 
out alone or a man going through dangerous neighbourhoods 
at night can obtain. I never heard of a man being garotted 
when he had a large dog with him. So that even this kind 
of dog is not so completely played out as your contributor 
would have it appear. 
There still remain to be considered those dogs that assist 
man in his predatory pursuits, but which are more politely 
termed sports. Their name is legion, and they range from 
the tall, wiry deerhound (with something of the grace of its 
quarry) to the shivering rat-pit terrier and debased-looking 
bulldog. The question of the ethics of the higher forms of 
field sports is too complex to be discussed here, and would 
have to be answered before any decision as to the utility of 
this class could be arrived at. Still, it would be difficult to 
prove on broad grounds that fox hunting, grouse shooting, 
