The Portland daily press., 1865-11-29
The Fidelity of the Dog.

Does the dog belong to the inferior or to
the superior race of animals? What other
dumb animal will leave the society of his own
species for human society? What other AMI
NAL, dumb or articulate, SO faithful to his
friends? The dog is the last to leave his mas
ter. No matter how poor or how low sunken
into disgrace, the faithful dog "sticks closer
than BROTHER" and remains steadfast when
all other friends fall away. He will follow his
master in his wanderings, sharing his poverty,
sharing his roofless home, sharing in his mis-
fortunes, and sharing, too, in the kicks and
excavations of the more humane p animals
which pass him without notice, or only to
render his life more wretched. He will follow
his master through rain and sunshine, lie
down with him in the snowbank, and lick his
face and close his eyes should death overtake
him in his cold and dreary exposure. Though
the empty rum-bottle be found grasped in the
dead and nerveless hand, the dog will be
found true to his vigils, the last to forsake
the disgraced clod which humane beings bury
out of sight only to get rid of the nuisance.
Such is the poor dog, which so many are
anxious to make an outlaw, and which every
low-bred rake feels at liberty to kick. We do
not wonder that Byron, with his misanthrop-
ic spirit, felt and appreciated his friendliness,
or that he erected to his own faithful dog a
monument with the laconic yet significant in
scription:
J%y. "To mark friends remains tIbi
These stones arise; ai4 '.s-s 4-a
never knew but one, I.
And here he lies." .--s -=
We have been led to these reflections by
reading the following anecdote Of this faithful
animal. We dare say some of our readers
may sheer at them, and curl their nicely per-
fumed mustaches, but we shall enjoy the sat
isfactory consciousness that the dog is infi-
nitely their superior in all the elements OF
real goodness and worth, so scowls will be
wasted if bestowed upon us for this brief trib-
ute to one of the most deserving and faithful
of Gods brute (?) creation. The anecdote re-
ferred to is told by friend of the late Hull
son Quincy. He says:
One morning was sitting on business with
Mr.. Quincy, when l heard the pattering of
feet behind, and the door silently opened. 1
turned to see who was listening to us, and the
Newfoundland dog quietly entered the room,
and standing in the centre, looked on me
boldly and on his master kindly
'"This," said Mr.. Quincy "is one of my
most faithful friends; he has come to pay me
his usual morning visit"
Turning to the dog, he continued: fsf .
"Prn little better to-day, but not much
One morning you will miss me; I shall be
dead" II A M ...,.,as.
The dog as though endowed with human
instinct, gave low moan, and advancing to
his master, placed his huge paw, with gem
tleness that would hardly have crushed fly,
on Mr.. Gurney's knee; and that done, he
raised himself on his hind legs, and placed
the other on Mr.. Gurney's shoulder, and, lick
ing hisface, seemed topat him on his back, with
an expression which almost said, "Cone, come,
don't be down-hearted! You are very badly,
but you'll get better by and by"
Mr.. Quincy perfectly understood him, since
he replied: .i.-1al-i
'Its no use; tell you shall die" 2 rral
The dog moaned again. eJ
"And now," continued the owner of Kes-
wick "you must go; for 1 am busy with the
gentleman"
The dog looked at his master, then at me,
and then silently quilted the room.