Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-09-23
Pariah Dogs.

Mrs. BERToN says, in "The Inner Life
Of SYRIA: "A few words about the street
dogs, as | have become very familiar with
their habits and customs In all Eastern
towns they have sprung up from the time
| of the creation, they multiply extensive
ly, they belong to nobody, they are not
sacred, but, as they are town scavengers,
nobody kills them. With the Moslem it
is sin to take life, but it is allowable, or
rather it is the practice, to torture, MAIN
and ill-use short of death. These poor
brutes live on the offal Of the town, they
sleep in the streets. They are ill-used by
the whole population, and like lshmael,
their hand is against every one and every
ones hand is against them. The people
beat Them kick them, stone them, so that
out Of Is, 900 you will not see dozen old
ones with whole body or four sound legs.
They are so unused to kindness that if you
touched one it would bite your hand off
like wild beast, supposing thatyou were
going to injure it. Were you to remain
alone in a bazaar at night shut up with
them it is probable that they would at
tack you in pack and kill you. There
is story Of a sea Captain who drank
little too much and lay down in a public
place. In the morning only a gnawed
bone or two, his sailors cap and tattered
clothes told the horrible story. 1t is
quite possible that this should happen, the
animals are so starved. Their habits are
of bJrl Of Of hov
grown, in the solitude of Salahiyeh, to
learn them. At night, when profound
stiffness reigns in the village, you sudden
ly hear a dog coming down from the
Kurdish burial ground on the roots of
the mountains. He communicates some
news to the dogs nearest the borders of
the village. There is chorus of barking;
it ceases, and a single dog is commissioned
to bear the news to the dogs Of our quar-
ter They set up howl, which ceases
after a few minutes, and one of our lot is
detached, and flies down the gardens to the
dogs near the Babies Salahiyeh. Whatever
the canine news is, in about twenty
minutes it is passed round to all the dogs of
Damascus. | cultivated the affections of
those of our quarter, and found that in
attachment and fidelity they differ in
nothing from tte noblest mastiff or most
petted terrier; every time my husband or
L went out dog was sent on guard by
their community to accompany us to the
border Of his boundary, when he ap-
peared to pass us on to friend in the
next boundary, to wag his tail for bow,
and TO take his leave, as a savage chieftain
would frank you from tribe to tribe. If
stranger comes they set up a chorus of
barking and follow him in crowds. If a
dog goes into another territory, all the
others fly at and fasten on him, as if they
SAID: Who's that, Bill?' a stranger
Then 'eave 'arf brick at himr If an
English dog comes among them they bark
around and try his mettle, anu he has to
settle the question for himself the first
day. like d new boy at a public school,"
as husband says Chicago man
g Pm ever willing to do my share about
the house. My wife for instance, puts I'm
all the preserves III the sumner-it is
pleasant then but when cold winter comes
l don't ask her to do anything ABOUT them
i put them all down alone"