HANDLING ANIMALS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XLIII, Issue 2337, 27 January 1913, Page 7

HANDLING ANIMALS.

ffO'vV VARIOUS BEASTS SHOULD % BE LIFTED. Nearly every animal of a size capable if being lifted l>y human agency requires a different method of treatment if it is to be dealt with safely and skilfully. This article is intended to show the tyro in which of several ways he should treat the various wild and domestic animals with whom it may at different times be his lot to have to deal.

Probably dogs will prove the commonest animals which the average man will have to lift in the same way. Puppies should never be lifted by the fore-legs or shoulders, because this tends to make them grow out-at-clbows. They should be taken up by the scruff of the neck, though with greyhounds, if it he desired to ascertain what good they will be in after life, it is pcrmissable at the age of a week or so to lift them by the tail, when, if they bring their front paws above their ears, they may ho safely estimated to have a turn of speed at maturity. Otherwise it is not advisable to take up a puppy by the tail., though mnny men think that a terrier that will stand the test without a whimper is necessarily "game.” LIFTING A DOG. To lift full-grown dog of any breed under, say, twenty pounds in weight, the best plan is to take him from behind w T ith both hands, lifting him by the shoulders so that bis elbows are kept’ close to his body. Larger dogs, like greyhounds, must he taken up with the left hand under the breast and grasping the off shoulder at the elbow-joint, the other hand and arm being passed round the quarters, the fingers holding the off thigh, firmly. RABBITS AND PIGEONS. As most children know, the proper way to lift a rabbit is by the ears, and pigeons should be held with one hand pressed firmly but gently over the tack sc; as to keep both wings close against the sides. To pick up a game-cock he must be "legged;” that is, one hand must be passed swiftly under him to seize both legs together above the spurs and round the thigh-jo'nts. The bird can then be held against the body and the wings restrained with the other hand. It is necessary to perform the operation of legging quickly, in one movement, and to get hold of both legs simultaneously, or the operator will run the risk of being spurred in the wrist. Ferrits require to he picked up in a special manner if the owner does not want to be nipped. The thumb and the first two fingers of the night hand arc alone employed. The neck must be taken firmly between the thumb and first finger, while at the sam • time the middle finger is pass- . i underneath the off fore-leg of the f-mret. In this way it is so held that it is impossible for the animal to bite the holder. Some men tail the ferret and place it on the left arm before seizing it in the manner first described.

OTTERS AND FOXES

In the field of sport it is sometimes necessary to handle wild animals, and here it is important to know exactly how to do so, or one may get badly, if not dangerously, bitten’ An otter’s bite—though he usually takes the piece out —is a clean one, and has no ill-effects ; but the bite of a fox h a s been known to produce blood-poisoning and even hydrophobia ; while a badger, if he gets hold of you, will not let go until he has munched the small bones of the hand to a pulp. A fox should be held with both hands, one grasping him by the loose slain at, the back of the neek as near the cars as possible, the other holding him firmly at the root of the brush. In this position reynard is powerless to bite bis captor. Badgers and otters must both he tailed. The former has a somewhat short tail, called .in consequence the ‘■short un,” and the instant this is grasped the brute must he swung outwards in a line with the body, and held exactly on a level with the shoulders of the taller. If the arm is held too low the badger will get hold under the arm-pit, and if too high lie will twist himself round and catch his captor by the arm, when the meaning of the proverb about “catching a tartar” will at once become exceedingly and excruciatingly plain to the victim. An otter’s rudder lends itself to the operation of tailing, which is sometimes necessary to bring a bunt to 3, satisfactory conclusion.. It is broad and flat, with an oval section, and so coated with hair as to afford a good grip. But the otter, once tailed, must (like the badger) be swung well clear of the body or be will get the taller by the thigh and make him regret his temerity and the sum be paid for bis breeches, alike.—‘'‘Modern Man.”