The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-08-05
EXPERIENCES WITH DOGS.
Queer Traits that n Brooklyn Butcher
has Noticed.

The De KaiS avenue butcher in
Brooklyn, to whom the reporter was
speaking on the subject of the price of
beef, had hung the string on which
were suspended some odd pieces a little
too low for absolute safety, and yet not
quite low enough to accurately suit the
convenience of Il lean black dog, who
could only reach the delicacies by
standing on its hind legs or springing
upward but the butcher was so rapt
in his subject that he did not know
what was going on behind him until
the dog, having touched everything on
the line, but secured nothing, gave
ven to his Impotence with sharp
bark, and narrowly escaped having his
his head laid open with chopper
hurled at him by the irate butcher as
he fed into the street.
''Do you lose much by thieving
dogs? the reporter asked.
"Well, not much now" the butcher
| replied; s'but when l was now to the
business 1 used 10 lose a great deal that
way. There was great yellow brute
| that cost me a couple of dollars q week.
I think that animal must have had a
family to support, for he was never
satisfied with taking a piece of soup
meat, or something out of the barrel
under the table. He liked a joint, and
think he selected the tender ones.
He used to slip in while l was talking
| to a customer, and | never saw him
until he went out as fast as a grey
hound with Il leg of mutton or a piece
of beef in his mouth. l often chased
him, but, of course, 1 never could catch
him, and once when l was running
| after him, policeman arrested me on
suspicion, and had hard work to eX-
plain the situation to the sergeant ut
the station.
"Alter had suffered 4 good deal in
this way l hit upon the cXpcdient of
| keeping Il dog myself, and bought Il
big bull terrier, but though the brute
prevented his fellows from stealing
from me, he stoIo so much on his own
account that l soon found that the cure
was worst than the disease, aud gave
| him away. Once l went to court and
got an order for the shooting OF q dog
that had visited me regularly three
times day for a week, and carried away
| Il his breakfast, dinner, and supper, l
gave the order to n policeman, but
from the Time got il l never saw the
dog. Whether or not he knew what l
had done can't say, bnt he diE,sap-
peared.
"The evil brought its own remedy.
Practice soon enabled me to detect the
presence ola dog in the store, and they
seldom steal 4 march on me now,
! though that black brute that you
saw just now was very nearly SUCCESS
ful. Dogs are, for the most part, honest
animals, however, and not greedy.
If you offer your pet dog Il leg Of
mutton, or q large piece of any kind of
meat, you find that he won't cat any
Of it, but steps away with an offended
air, as though he would say, q can
give and take, sir, as well as any dog
in all friendly banter, but this is too
coarse Il joke
al have dog pensioners, too. They
come here about half an hour before l
close, and on Saturdays they come
later. They never steel anything, or,
at all events, very rarely. They sit
outside the door, and whenever one of
them catches my eye he quickly turns
his own down, and appears to be in
tently examining some inequality Of
tho pavement. They thankfully re-
ceivc such scrapc rs l have to give
them, and never quarrel for the choicest
morsels, but trOt off quietly and cat the
| portions allotted to them in some scclud-
ed place. Once Il little hungry white
animal permitted himself to take Il
chop that fell from tho table, but before
| TIC laN Etlfiy secured MS DOOty 4 Dig
gray fellow grasped him by the back
of tho neck, forced him to drop the
meat, and drove him away. lie never
came back again.
''Fhe intelligence Of that big gray
dog" tho butcher added, "is very re-
markablc. He is not handsome, but
tic is kind and clever. On one occasion,
when he and his companions had re-
ceivcd their suppers, they went into
that vacant lot across tho avenue to
eat them. n ragged, hungry looking
tramp had been lolling there all day,
, and he now tried to take the meat from
tho dog, but the brute showed his teeth
and quickly drove him away. Then
5 apparently noticing the wistrul, famish-
cd expression on tho mans face, he
/, followed him, put the meat down ut
:. his feet, and trottcu away /; and the
y strangcst part of the story is that
!. another dog shared his meal with the
Il generous gray fellow.
;, TWO babies were born in tho same
l. house ut Oakland, Tenn. The mothers
;. were sisters, closely resembling each