Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-02-02

| specimens had been knocked out of time. Of
course, it was all put on my shoulders, because
| | wasn't up to asserting monkeys. But ask
you, sir how was | to know? Why didn't the
keeper tell me he was a talking monkey, which
is the most quarrelsome of all the species? If
he had only mentioned that, common sense
would have told me to have given him place
to himself"
"You wouldn't mind showing me your dogs
| would you?"
"Oh no, by no means. They are out of school
| now-otherwise, as there are some very young
| scholars among them, couldn't do it,"
Hereupon our showdog friend opened the
| door on the landing, whistled, and presently we
| heard scratching at a door opposite as if some
thing was fumbling with a latch, and the door
opening, out came half dozen dogs, not riot
ously or indecorously, but with the same order
as properly instructed class of public school
| children.
"You see" said our friend, ''that poodle lead
| ing the lot? His duty is to open and shut that
| door. He is kind of bearleader to my family.
That dog is my best friend, sir. He has got just
as much sense as l have. His business is to
| keep the other dogs quiet, and when they are
| young aud foolish to prevent them from running
| away. He is worth a salary"
While he was saying this the dogs had all
| piled into the room, without evincing any cog
nizance of our presence, as much as by the wag
of tall. On our mentioning this fact, the pro-
fessor replied: They know no one but me.
Now sit down, doggies"
The animals all sat down on their hind legs,
all save one little spaniel who could not keep
his perpendicular, but toppled over every time
| he tiled 1t, though he kept at il persistently.
| On sign from his master, the poodle led the
little fellow to a corner, when getting up and
finding prop, he got along quite comfortably.
| Said the dog instructor, "Of course, people
| such as we are, as is used to theaters and per-
| formances, dom care much about rehearsals, so
| | won't put my dogs through, only remarking
| to you that poodes are the most intelligent of
| all creatures. They have good eyes and ears,
| and as fine a scent as a pointer. Next to them
| comes a retriever, one that has good cross Of
| water dog in him. Bullterriers, though nice
dogs, are mostly stupid under training. | have
| been experimenting with Esquimaux IT Schock
| dogs; they are gifted dogs, only too much in
clined to be highty. No dog is as good as a
| poodle. You wont be surprised to know what
| difference it makes when | train puppy from
| an intelligent stock. That poodle's grandfather
ran one hundred nights hand-runnlng in the
| Orphans Friend, or Innocence Avenged IN
| the old country, and his grandson learns most
anything at one showing. Fond OF hlmf VI
| course | am. l have seen tight times, but
would Just as soon think of selling a child Of
mine as of parting with him. That dog would
steal for me if told him to.
care You kept pretty busyp
| pretty much so, though alone as business
| it would not keep me. At nights am a scene
| shifter Americans have to be educated up to
my art. There is getting TO be a private taste
| for it. Christmas week | sold four dogs at a
good price. They were all good rOmping dogs.
IL takes good deal of patience to instruct dog
thoroughly. 1t amt hard to make him fetch
and carry, nor to jump through hoop, but
when it comes to balancing, and playing dead,
and cripples"-
whats that"
Getting lame. It's matter of six months.
A good letter dog that makes no mistakes is
good for years work
"How is the letter trick doDeW
"Well, there is lots of humbug about it. 1t
don't go much beyond finding out yes and no.
Though Eve seen a dog as could most spell
Wellington. Certainly the letters is rubbed
with some kind of smelling stuff, and the man
makes signs to the dog. That poode's father
knew two letters certain, o and l. and never
made mistake. Begging your pardon, sir, not
knowing your politics, he was most entitled to
vote"
"What is the price of regular first-class per-
former, such as would draw at a circus?"
You can't put any fixed price on star dog.
| have been offered $500 for Billy, here, by a
professional as was going to the Brazils. A good
dog, one that could play in the 'Montargis'
piece, and had good size, and looked the part, l
sec, was sold in Manchester this summer for
E2OO. Three years ago, Bills half brother was
sold by me for E45O. He went to California.
The last heard of the party was that he had re-
tired from the business and was running for the
legislature. hires out dogs sometimes. have
got two travelling now with minstrel troupe. l
get s25 a month for the two, besides a guarantee
OF $500 in case they are not returned"
Don't they sometimes throw up their en-
gagemeutS and come back to youP
$50 they does, and it's very trying part of
the business, and expensive telegraphing over
the country about dogs. Of course, | have TO
whip them, and keep them until called for.
There was one dog owred once that broke
loose twenty times. | couldn't break him of it.
At last he would run up the steps, look over
the threshold at me, or keep the other side of
the street, just so as to have sight at me, and
then, kind of satisfied, would clear out again.
That little retriever is Just worthless when away
from me, and she is very intelligent dog.
Dolly, my slippers, pipe, tobacco, and match"
These orders were given very quickly, and the
dog scampered around the room and brought
what was wanted, one thing after the other.
Talking about dogs, / can train dog 10 be
regular fire eXtinguisher. They scent fire and
smoke in moment. had big dog once who
could put out any ordinary fire in moment; he
would roll over and over in it, even though it
burned him. until he put ii out"
You seem to be an enthusiast; have you
read much about dogsW
ooh, yes, sir. There is no reading likes so
we'll. Mr.. Bulwer's romance dogs is poetry
dogs, but not equal to Mr.. Dickens dogs. They
is true to the life, and if dogs could speak, for
they do think, they would talk just like Mr..
Dickens dogs. Only one thing, sir, and if you
don't think 1t liberty, L shall presume to re-
mark which it is in regard to dogs, do what you
NAV, good or bad treatment, they never will
perform their tricks and carry good tail Now,
to make you understand, do you see that yellow
spotted dog2 That dog knows we are talking
about him, and he's bordering on us. Dogs
does deal of bordering. That dogs an inven-
tive dog, sir, and is capable of striking off for
himself a perfectly original line of characters,
only, sir, when up to the beauties of his part,
hinspired, may say, regular hinspired, he will
drop his tail. Some dogs draws their tails more
than OTlprgs carries Thpm riObt between
their legs, which takes ever so much away from
the traction OF the piece. May be, sir, you
don't know much about plays where the dog
is the actor. The female lady character says:
"Oh! my dogl my faithful dogl how iOyously
he bounds this wayl We are saved! We are
sayedl He comes! he comesp Now to see a
dog come in with his tail down like WHIPPED
cur takes all the life out of the piece. ID g
human nature, Notwithstanding any of the arts
of man, will show itself there. Once got ac-
quainted with an Italian. He knowed most as
much as any man | ever saw on dogs. He had
big Spaniel dog, as was most natural dog.
seen that dog perform dozen times, and that
dog had no drop in his tail, tho his play was
cowed-like and not free OF course, his master
wouldn't let me handle him. But paid friend
OF mine to have that dog sent me once, just for
ten minutes, and found it out. That dog was
nicked, sir; the muscles at the joint of his tail
had been clean cut, so that he couldn't drop it
or wag it if he tried.
That amt true art, and Pm above it. It's the
ambition of my life, however, to succeed on that
one point suppose if had very young pup
Ply, and trained him up alone, apart from any
other dog, and we neither of us ever lost our
tempers, we might succeed. In the meantime,
as you see, | satisfies my craving for perfection
with short-ta ed dogs. Nature and her defects
amt as percepti5le in a bobtaed dog"
"Will you allow u.s." we said, "to thank you?
for really you are a conscientious artist; it is
difficult to meet SUCH"
"rhank you, sir" Mas the reply "The living
! pick up is one thing, and the satisfaction de-
rive from my calling is another. 1t ain t often
/ am appreciated"
The following speech is attributed to a men,
| Der of the legislature of Pennsylvania; 81 know
/ ~ c.