Pampered Pets On. Parade

NZ Truth, Issue 973, 19 July 1924, Page 5

Pampered Pets On. Parade

There was a toy terrier and cat show held lit Auckland recently, and tho parade of pretty pets brought joy to those who love four-legged things to pamper, m preference to the tiny little things with only two legs. Tho pretension with which these pampered pets were paraded to the public gaze fairly took away the breath of the ordinary domesticated man who strayed m ;to have a look. The ordinary domesticated man knew moro about babies th^in he did about pet dogs nnd cats and when he saw little "silkies" and "silvers" reposing on silk and satin cushions, their necks adorned with lovely ribbons, and their cages decorated with streamers and rosettes, he wondered! He wondered more when ho saw (several vb— i -er-ladle« — nursing those canines and fellnesj combing and bruShipg and kissing and slushing them, cuddling nnd j caressing and laughing and crying oyer them—laughing and crying, as tM case might be, over tho first prize gained by the pet or the prize that wciit to somo other Vr dog or cat. ' V At'the home of thtt plain domestlYirnteU nvm there might have been n tSpg/or a cat, but tcn»to-one It would /£j>e a good watch-dog or pal-dog, or a ' cat which could catch rats. At the home of the domesticated man there would probably also bo an ordinary, human baby, lying on a plain cot or m a plain pram or eyen pn tho plain floor, kicking its heels m baby laughv tor or yelling ,ih bidby rage for lt-dldn't-know-what, whilst mother either tried to soothe it, or, being too busy, let it laugh or yell as tho case might be, whllo she made the beds and swept and scrubbed tho floors and set the fires and put the food on to cook and made all ready for the bigger babies to come homo from, school and father to come home irom work.

But the ladles who sat at the toy terrier ancl cat show all day, nursing the canines and tho felines and kissing them and cuddling them and fussing and combing and brushing and weeping or crying over them, probably didn't have any babies ' at home to nurse and kiss and cuddle antl fuss and como and brush and to laugh and to weep over — and the domesticated man swallowed his wonder, which was becoming charged with a certain amount of disgust and indignation, and he felt arising m his heart a great pity for these ladles. There was ono little lady, with an aquiline nose and wide, rather protruding eyes, hugging a tiny imitation of a dog, whilst she told another little lady this: ■ . > • "Oh, dear no! I never givo the darling horrid butcher's meat. Nothing, oh. never anything, but fowl and fish for denr Fido— and nice tinned herrings or sardines for a change. Rice custard whenever he fancies it. You must be so careful with the little pets. Oh! I would die if tho darling becumo ill." (Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!) Then thc domesticnted man thought of thc scarcity of fowl and fish (Including nice tinned herrings and sardines) at thc house whore thero wore several mouths, apart from canine or feline, to feed. And suddenly the sight of the littlo lady kissing the poodlo and thc stench of hundreds of confined dogs nnd cats, combined io produce a feeling of terrible nausea — and he turned from the scone and staggered out into the pure air and ho saw a bright-looking little boy ancl ho placed a shilling ln his hand. Also, alas, tho man mado for tho nearest pub and drank a real stiff whisky. Then he went home and road about families living m packing cases. Tho dally paper had much regret for tho falling birth rale, nnd published a big puff of the prize puppies and their perfumed mistresses.