STORY OF THE DOG

Taranaki Daily News, 19 October 1927, Page 4

STORY OF THE DOG

PLAGUE OF DISTEMPER. TALK BY COLONEL YOUNG. Before a very enthusiastic audience, Colonel Al ft. Young gave an interesting address in New Plymouth last night in which he dealt with various topics concerning- dogs. He first touched on the origin of the deg. He likened the time of creation to a huge incubator in which, so far as dogs were concerned, all ty-pes were alike. The puzzle to many fanciers was how different types of to-day had descended from one common stock. But the progress had taken millions of years and many facts accounted for the alterations that now existed. It was sufficient to say that the dog, whatever type he might be, had been man’s companion as far back as records showed. The dog, however, seemed to have a brighter outlook on life than man. Colonel Young, in continuing, brought up the origin of the so-called Maori dog. Twenty-seven years ago he had endeavoured to locate what type this animal belonged to and, due to the courtesy of the museum authorities and especially to Mr. W. H. Skinner, he had been able to come to the decision that the original Maori dog was a purebred white pomeranian. At that time there were only two of the original dogs of this type in New Zealand. One was at Gisborne and had been captured on the Wairua Plains. This, though very aged, showed convincing signs of being a purebred of good type. Another animal belonged to a Mr. Adam, in Wanganui, but had been crossed with a poodle. However, evidence of pomeranian was distinct. About that time Mr. Skinner was supervising the removal of a chief and his wife from a well-known grave, and had shown the speaker the skeleton of a dog buried with its master, the chief. This again was evidently of pomeranian descent. The last of these original dogs had been destroyed, as far as lie knew, many years ago, and after that period all Maori dogs were nothing but mongrels. INSTINCT AND INTELLIGENCE. The difference between instinct and intelligence next drew the speaker’s at- ' Lntion. Ail animals inherited instinct. Tins was primarily so that they could continue in life without being educated, lie therefore advised those present that, when buying a dog, to procure one with a great deal of lert instinct.” Education was not inherited; it was only a requirement brought about by training. This was shown by the extra degree of intelligence found in the working collie. The classification of animals in order of intelligence, from the scientist’s point of view, was man, monkey and dog, and there was no doubt that, from experiments carried out, the monkey was far ahead of the dog. But this order was not to be maintained. Colonel Young held that association with man would place the dog next to the former, as he was a suitable subject on which to build intelligence. If it were possible to have a school for dogs over six months, and train them well for two years, the results would more than astonish the people who hold that intelligence only belongs to man. Yet another phase of the dog’s life was dealt with by the lecturer, this being the present wave of distemper in New Zealand. This was of special interest to the medical profession as well as to veterinary surgeons, as it showed that a well-known disease might at any time take on a form and show a diversity of Symptoms never previously observed. The present epidemic was supposed to be plague. At least, post mortem examinations had revealed that there were circumstances closely allied to plague. The present form was simply the old friend "distemper,” but instead of nervous symptoms taking tl-eir ordinary, course the symptoms appeared first and the distemper could not be diagnosed until too late. Dogs taken in tlie early stages should be kept warm and dry, and have doses of olive oil, while the progress of the trouble was watched throughout. The chief manifestations were lung, internal, or, mostly, spinal eord affectations. A strange symptom was that a dog might appear | in good health but go suddenly lame jin one loot. When the leg was touched it was painful to the dog— yet it had I come -by no accident and under treatment the trouble would disappear as suddenly as it came.' Colonel Young was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.