Polynesian., 1860-05-12
No. 2.
A Plea for Dogs.

A very seedy fellow, decayed gentleman who
had not caught the Washoe fever, called upon US
this morning, with q tear in his eye, grief in his
cracked voice, and dog, of the color of a halo,
ut his heels. He didn't wish to intrude, he did
not want preliminary notice of concert or lecture
or any other favor; he wanted justice and our ear
for minute. He said he always borrowed and
read the Bulletin, and he had concluded that we
" were agn dogs" and, as friend of the race,
he couldn't stand that, without word of remou-
STRANGE. You speak evil of them, said he, and
you touch my feelings when you do it. Hove them.
They gnaw bone of my bone, and eat flesh of the
flesh buy.
But, we demonstrated, can you afford It'll If you
would smite the os tronfs of that yielding cur at
your feet with the head of an ak, what a saving
to you. He eats your substance, consumes your
victuals that ought to be cOmpacting muscle upon
your raw bones. Isn't your old woman still in the
Statesl Sell your dog, the money you buy
bits of beef for it WITH and the wife of your bosom
would be able, In the course of q year, to take q
steerage passage to the land of gold
Very true, you touch me now on the raw. But,
after all, what is man without sympathyi If my
old woman were here, she'd fry the bacon and boil
my shirts; but dog for sympathy you never had
one, it is evident. My poor yaler Sally here finds
no fault with me if | am out a little late makes
no fuss though lie long in the morning; is my
friend through thick troubles and thin fare and
yet should like to see the old woman again.
Here our visitor fell weeping and wiping his eyes.
Recovering himself, he continued see some of
the papers are trying to get up hullaballo about
the danger of hydrophoby. I've been here since
| lS49 and L never saw but one case, and that was
caused by some school-boys tying a tin kettle on
the tail of dog that naturally was not so sweet
tempered as he ought to have been. Hydrophobyl
Why, my dear man, do they have that extraordi-
nary disease In climates where FIRE feels comfort
able almost every night the year through
| We called his attention to the fact that riders
on high-sprited horses were perpe:uallv in danger
of being thrown by the sudden appariticn of le-,
| gion of NANCY ours Yelling barking, and making
hdeOus the whole locality with their hOrid noise.
Which, said he, is only another way Of saying
that our California horses are Only hals broken.
Read your own paper, said he. A few weeks ago
q noble dog sprang out from the side walk, caught
| a runaway horse by the bride, and held him fast
until his owner came QUIT saved child's life,
| saved valuable animals heels, and to the owner
OF the wagon saved heavy bill at the carpenters.
Only the other day you reported the story of fine
| New-FOundlander which saved child's life from
the wrath OF an infuriated wild SOW. Oh Sir,
(and here our visitor broke down again,) when the
virtues of dogs come to be truly written, the Re-
corder's Office will not hold half the books.
But, said We, these disreputable ours that swarm
in every street. haunt the markets, bolt out upon
you at all dark places o. nights
Hold, hold, said our friend; every dog has his
owner. as surely as his day. Every one of those
abused animals has his master, to whom be is de-
yotedly attached-for whom he would die. That
they are running at large argues not against them
selves, but against ther owners, that they not
fit to be entrusted with such valuable property.
Educate the people, teach them how to treat their
dogs that is the true way to abate the nuisance.
Here our seedy visitor fell a-weeping again, and
his dog fell a-howling. An application of the toe
of our boot settled the dogs case, but his master
would only be comforted with q promise that we
would never cease to urge the education Of the
people-San Francisco Bulletin.