The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-16
The Emotional Nature of Dogs

A little reflection shows that dog
approaches man much more nearly in
the matter of feeling than either of
physical or mental characteristics. 1t
is startling fact, well brought out by
Jesse in a synopsis of the dogs attri-
butes {" Researches" chap. W, that
there are very few human passions
which dog does not share.
A dog feels anger precisely as we do,
and after provocation is sometimes vim
dictive and sometimes placable, accord
ing to his individual character He is
susceptible of hatred of the bitterest
kind. He is so excrutiatingly jealous
that his life becomes burden in the
presence of a favored rival. His envy
continually leads him to eat what he
does not want lest another animal should
take it, and to illustrate the fable of "The
Dog in the Manger." Gluttony holds
out to him temptations under which
even his honesty sometime succumbs !;
but, on the other hand, from drunken
ness he is nobly emancipated. A dog
mentioned by the Rev. Thomas Jackson
{" Our Dumb Companions, p. 49,, hay
ing once been made so drunk with malt
liquor that he was unable to walk up
stairs, ever after declined to taste the
pernicious beverage, and growled and
snarled at the sight of a pewter pot
Again, as to love, Don Juan was a cold
and unenterprising character compared
to dog ard as to maternal affection,
the mother-dog feels it with heroic pas
sion, starving herself to death ratlNr
! than forsake her offspring. Gratitude
may be almost said to be dogs leading
principle, supplying first the spring of
allegiance to his master. and ever after
reconciling him with true magnanimity
| to take evil from the hand from which
he has accepted good. Regret and grief
he feels so deeply that they often break
his heart. Fear is passion which dogs
exhibit with singular variation, some
breeds and individuals being very tim
orous, and others perfect models of
! courage the latter characteristics and
| fortitude seeming to be more character
| istically canine. A greyhound has been
| known, after breaking his thigh, to run
! on till the course was concluded and
in the excellent new volume con the
Dog" by Idstone Up. 39), is frightful
story of foxhound whom its ferocious
master fogced so savagely for {" bab-
! bling as to cut out its eye with his whip.
The animal continued to hunt with the
pack till the end of the chase, where,
upon the human brute, certain Colonel
Thornton, took out his scissors and
severed the skin by which the dogs eye
had hung pendant during the entire
run. As to hope, no one can observe
| the dog watching for his masters step.
as in Landseer's picture of "EXpecta
tion," without admitting that he knows
| the sentiment as well as we. Pride il
a successful chase may be witnessed il
every dog, and even felt in the quickeneC
heartbeats of a greyhound when caresseC
and praised. That dogs have persona
vanity appears from the fact that the,
are so manifestly detected and demor
allied WHEN dirty and ragged by lons
exposure, and recover their self-respec
Immediately upon being washed ant
combed. Chivalry and magnanimit,
may nearly always be calculated upol
in dogs, and wife-beating is an Offence
to which the four-footed beast never de
scends. The stories are endless of bl!
dogs generously overlooking the insult
of small ours, or taking them into waite
and giving them n good ducking as
punishment for their impertinence, ant
then helping them mercifully back t
land (see Jesse's Anecdotes p. 147)
Sense Of property, bifucating into bot
covetousness and avarice, is common t
all dogs. The kennel, rug, collar, water
BASIN or bone once devoted to his us
no dog can see transferred t, anothe
without indignation. Frequently Ii
"covets his neighbor's house, and at
| tpmDtS to cnScurcp himself in il Surrel
titiously; and almost universally h
covets his neighbor's bone, and purloin
it if he dare. Even from avarice h
cannot be wholly exonerated, observin
his propensity to bury his treasures
Shame, humor, gratitude, in fact, nearl
all other emotional attributes not abov
enumerated, are also to be noticed
dogs.