ABOUT DOGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 35

ABOUT DOGS.

Most of iifi who live in the world ara animal lovers. But there are a few, of course, who suffer from a genuine aversion to the whole dumb creation; others who do not positively "inrad" auimals, though: preferring their loom to their company; others who ba-vc an affection, say, for horses and dogs, while cordially disliking cats and! parrots; and others who have a constitutional fear of all creatures, from the harmless cow in the field io the deplorable toy, dog in the lap. And then, of course 4 , there exist ir ihe human race those unspeakable wretches who arc unfit to belong to any horse or dog. Generally speaking, however, we are roi animal-loving- .nation, to whom horses and dogs :n-o a necessary part of life. The lien, anS the bulldog are symbolical of English might and character; we put one in the Zoo, and make a frienj of the other.

As for dogs, a volume is necessary to set down a fraction of dog thoughts. Surely we have all owned dogs of some sort op ai-other, from the intelligent cur to ih« handsome aristocrat whose pedigree has encroached upon hid brain. The* well-trainecl dog is a continual joy to his master, and never a nuisance to other people. He sneaks when spoken to, he "is there when wanted, his loyalty is above all suspicion, his sympathy unvarying and unbounded ; h& loves you tot for the scraps of food which are never given him at human meal times, but because it is natural for him to love some human being, and you are the person appointed for him to love. He trusts you utterly ; if you took a gun to shcot him he would turn upon you the same confiding beautiful eyes as he does whenever you call him to your side. Unobtrusive and devoted, the well-trained clog is an occurrence as fortunate as rare. And there ie, luckily, considerable attractiveness in the ill-trained dog, whose fine nature has been warped by ill-management and a bad education, who would be an utter nuisance if behind his persistent greediness, disobedience, and tactlessness there were not seen — surely it may be written — the soul of a dog. But the dog has one supreme de.ecf— 1:« dies too soon. The setter, spaniel, or rotriever who shares our sport: fhe bulldog collie, or terrier, even the poodle and the pil g_tlie term of all their lives is fhort. We, their owners, outlast many dogs. _ anrl after one or more of these separations, which are as grievous, as painful as ihe death of human friends, we grow unwilling to let an animal have all our heart lesfc haply we survive him also. This is the irremediable defect which we can see m animal creation; the Black Bes=^s and Gelcrte of this world should have been gifted with eternal life.— Pall Mall Gazette.