The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-12-18 00:00:00

HUMANE TREATMENT OF THE
LOWER ANIMALS.

Many stories have been told of Sir Edwin Land-
seer's fondness for dogs, and the attachment shown by
his various pets. Tiney, a little white terrier, was the
latest companion of the painter. A brief biography,
accompanying a portrait of Tiney, in the "Animal
World," says that he readily learned his master's will,
and equally understood his fun. The painter and his
brothers and sisters found no difficulty in teaching him
many tricks. He regularly fetched the morning news-
paper from the kitchen to his master's bed, and found
a daily reward in the caresses of his benefactor. He
as punctually carried up his patron's boots, making
two journeys in doing such duty. Dogs reason, we
have often said, and certainly Tiney did one morning,
when he thought that it would save himself a second
journey if he could take up the two boots at one time.
Consequently he placed the boots together in a favour-
able position to enable him to grasp both with his
mouth, and having gripped them he started off
with apparent success and glee. His enthusiasm
was, however, checked on the way by many impedi-
ments, and principally by the steps of the staircase.
Though it occupied much more of his strength and
time to accomplish the task he had set himself to do
than he had expected, Tiney's energy never flagged
until he placed both boots together before his master,
when he rested, apparently much exhausted, but
really perhaps reflec*ing on his own folly; for never
afterwards did any one see him attempt to carry more
than one boot at a time. Tiney was taught to ask for
biscuits; and it is noteworthy that when he begged
of Mr. Charles Landseer (who suffers from deafness),
he invariably barked in a much louder note than when
addressing any other member of the family, a
habit which experience and a love of biscuits, we
need hardly explain, had taught him to be mindful
of. During Landseer's four years' illness Tiney
never left his side. In the garden, on very fine
days, the faithful dog would set coiled up for hours at
his master's feet; and shortly before his end, Landseer,
embracing his pet, exclaimed, "My dear little white
dog; nobody can love me half so much as thou dust."
Anecdotes of elephantine intelligence are numerous,
but most of them too well known to repeat here. In
fact, all animals that come under the observance of
man supply illustrations of what we may call moral as
well as mental qualities that are truly surprising. The
difficulty is, not to find but to select such illustrations.
But we have quoted as many as our space will permit.
A reviewer in The Times having noticed several books
on animal sagacity, said: "If animals were only as
sagacious in real life as they are in books, what a won-
derful world it would be I No doubt the fact contained
in many of even the most wonderful of these tales
really happened exactly as they are described; it is
the inferences from these facts whieh so often make us
shake the head I" Well, we are not telling these
stories here to illustrate the disputed question of
instinct and reason, nor to encourage any morbid
affection towards the lower animals. Because
some animals are intelligent, docile, and affec-
tionate, it does not follow that all animals are
to be praised, or any of them to be petted. There are
very bad and disagreeable animals, as there are very
bad and disagreeable people, but we have no right to
treat them with cruelty. Where animals do not in-
terfere with men's rights and convenience, they have
a claim to humane treatment. If the Creator has
given to them such wonderful qualities and capacities,
man should not injure wantonly God's creatures. This
is an inference at which no one need shake his head.
And another inference from such stories is the very
practical one, that we may get good example some-
times from the lower animals.—Our Own Fireside.

I I dog