The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-22
A Dogs Hospital.
THE HOME POR LOST DOGS IN THE ENGLISH
METROPOLIS.

Dogs Hospital.
THE HOME POR LOST DOGS IN THE ENGLISH
METROPOLIS.
From the PaiI.Mall Gazctte.J
The Home for Lost Dogs Is so prosper
Gus an institution that IL seems TO absorb
the MINOR establishments connected with
the chief pets Of mankind. Now, the
Dogs Hospital. though treasure when
found, Is, like other treasures, very DIM
cult TO get at. You come upon the very
existence OF it almost by accident, and,
when at last you do find it, you are sur
prised to see that, like other treasures, II
lies ut your door-Or, at least, ut your
stable-door. Behind the tall rows OF eligi-
Bile mansions stretches tho district OF the
news, and there the proprietor OF the
Dogs' Hospital has set up his modest instl-
tuition, and patrOnized by the surrounding
nobility, cures their pets. You, tie pos
SCISSOR OF pIethoric pug, have wandered
into this region Of stabc-cries and Gu
rious implements OF carriage-cleaning,
bound for the hospital and accompanied
bv the patient. He is too heavy to carry
on so hot a day, and his own legs,
as he pants in your rear, seem to take the
proportion OF an early English arch UNI
der the superintendent weight OF a
yross and corpulent body. You move
along the news, and painting pug tolls
after YOU in vain. You are obliged TO wait
till he comes up, and then there comes up
with him dapper little groom. who sees
your difficulty and takes you straight to
the hospital. The doctor, he says. Is
in, and just at present is doing
a roaring trade in pugs. You are not
quite sure whether this Is good news or
not; but the groom explains that July
always tells on their constitutions. and that
II any one can bring them round, ii is
"Ivins." With this encouraging encO-
MUM in your ears. you find yourself at
"Ivins's" door. The name OH that door
il =. Evans" but when the door is opened
you know your have made no mistake, and
closing it behind you, you find yourself in
one OF the wards Of the Dogs Hospital.
Evans is 4 small man with wild eye
and general suggestion Of IA poacher
about him. His corduroys are furrier than
his occupation would account for, and he
looks as il he were up TO all the ways OF
savage animals. He receives Won politely
and gIanceS very severely ut the pug.
That pet. who has somehow sunk in your
estimation since his inability to face Il rat
was so iocuarly emphasized. looks up Ian
guidly and shiyerS. You give an account
OF the ease. Evans bids you be seated.
and lifting the pug with professional deft-
ness to a table, examines what had been
the white Of his eye. lou 90 on with The
symptoms. Evans mods, ana says, "lcS.
ah, yes: so il would be-" exactly rs ii his
residence wcre Harley street. and his fee
two guineas. You are rather surprised to
find that the symptoms are so few, and
that YOU have 80 very little to say. And
vet the pug looks pathetic, Spiritlc>S,
and in mortal terror. You feel that no.
thing but his excessive fat would prevent
him running away from mouse. The
doctor listens carefully. and throws in Il
few extra symptoms. which you eagerly
catch at. lie then looks Though a hook.
and tells You he will undertake the case,
Ond that he has happily a spare bed at The
moment. Terms are agreed upon, and YOU
are about TO take your leave, when he offer,
10 show you round The establishment. He
leads the way. You follow him. And pug.
grown singularly and suddenly adcctionaie,
follows You.
4 low room, and, aS il seems, diSagrecahly
close. though the window is open; in the
corner kilchcn-bolcr >immerlng and sur
rounded hy drugs, bottles. and implements;
round the room Il lot OF packing-cascs
filled with straw, and i'm each case Il dog.
Such poor shiycring little creatures, with
legs bound up in splmtS, icycriSh, parch-
ed tongues, languid eyes, misery and SUI
fcrng all round You. All those little eyes
are fixed in terror upon Evans, and IN a
81 fa.1,In Il
cOrpulcnt pug, of whom YOU are Yourself
by this time heartily ashamed. Evans. ut
home in this the accident ward OF his hos
pital is disposed 10 give clinical lecture.
This little fcvcrish terrier belongs to IA
Duchess, who stood on his lee in trying to
give him the lean OF Il muttOn-chop. The
Duchess drives up twice week to see him.
and the footman calls every day for news.
"But." says Evans. as if he thought such
on the whole Instantaneous,
" he'll pull through by reason OF his con-
stitution.' Near him is an enormous mas
tin, with its head swathed round and
its iawbOnc kept rigid in SplintS.
He wags his tail feebly at Evans,
who pats him in a patronizing but pro-
fessiOnal manner. This, YOU are told, is
a very interesting case. He is the finest
maStiif in Bayswatcr. as brave aS lion and
rs mild as Il lamb. He was out with his
master on Sunday, when an artistic gentle
man with German maStfl came by. The
two dogs stopped, and did not like the
looks Of one another, and so they fought,
and the German seized Til, one by the ear
and mouth and would not LET him 30. The
masters beat both with umbrellas, and were
very near beating each other, and il took
three policemen, a butcher. and a green
grocer to separate them. Ellis jaw was
very near being broke" says Evans, "but
he'll pull through, because he's a good con-
You begin to admire the modeSty of
Evans in thus recognizing the -siS medic0-
trir ndturdr, and 1t occurs 10 you for mo-
ment To suggest that perhaps there is no
thing at all the matter with the pug. But
now YOU come INTO another room, where
the patients are cOnvaleScent. Evans seems
still to inspire terror, and in this ward, at
all events. the pug prOvokes absolute ha-
tired. Other fat pugs languidly repos-
ing on straw look upon your pet as
an impostOr, and are not very favorubIy
to Yourself. One gives Il little
grOwl ola distinctly vindictive flavor which
may be intended for your dog or it, master. |
Evans takes the opportunity to administer
some soothing medicine, which is done by
the patient by the throat, and
then when he is gaspng for breath driv-
Ing Golus over his esophagus. The ope-
ration lasts but minute. yet all the con-
valescents seem paralyzed by the procedure
It is time for You to take your departure.
md to leave your pug in the hands Of its
medical adviser. The parting is almost |
pathetic, and as You pass down the lane |
you hear livery boy who is scraping horse
observe TO friend that "wben that there |
pug comes out Of Evans's 'orspital he'll be |
deal thinner and deal hungrier." This
prophet deserves honor in his own country. |
A fortnight later the invalid is restored to
Iou with stimulated liver, an impIacable |