The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-07-16
COLEY. TINE DOG.
Remarkable Instance of the Power
Of Boston Culture.


Coley Is beautiful brown water spaniel,
curly beyond all precedent, with great fluffy
ears and brown eyes so expressive as TO make
| it evident that the reason that the dog does
not talk is because he does not need to.
1t is well known that spaniels are very in
| telligent and can be taught tricks more easily
H tnan almost any other dog. Very seon after
| OF the house began in his leisure hours TO
| teach him tricks. The first accomplishment
acquired was the art Of rolling over. This
was very disagreeable to the puppy's young
dignity, and though he learned 1t before long
he always does 1t under protest, barking and
getting through with 1t as quickly as possible
so as to have 1t over with.
C0ley will beg for what he wants, whether
1t be drink OF water, something to eat, or to
90 ont with any member of the family whom
he sees preparing for the street. IL one Of
the family says in an ordinary tone, II am
going downtown" up will 20 the big ears
and Coley is all alive with interest and the
hope that he will be allowed TO go too. 1t Is
amusing when his mistress says to him:
Cooley, think mamma is going out. Go
and ask her II you can 20 with her."
On he goes to mamma's room, plants him
self before her and begs so hard that there Is
no resisting him. Indeed. there is a general
persuasiyeness about the young rascal which
is hard enough to resist. especially by the fe-
male portions OF the family.
One OF the grown up sons OF the family has
taught Coley to walt upon him TO some extent
Cooley" he says bring me my hat and cane
am going downtown" The alacrity with
which he obeys is not above Ia suspicion of
selfinterestedness, since he is generally
awarded by the dearly priced permission to
90 downtown also; and the same may be said
Of the fidelity with which he escorts his mis-
tress TO market, where he is generally lucky
enough to obtain bone. 1T Is laughable
enough to see the air with which he conveys
his treasure homeward, his head erect, his
tail stiffened and his whole attitude denoting
most reprehensible human desire to make
every other dog In the neighborhOod envi0us.
Sometimes his own meat Is wrapped up for
him and he carries 1t home and waits at the
door for his mistress, who Is to have 1t cooked
for him. But one day not long ago, he ran
on ahead with his dinner and as his mistress
stopped by the way, he got tired Of waiting
and when she arrived, out he ran TO meet
her with the empty paper, having disposed
Of the meat.
One Of the first tricks Coley learned, was
to stand up in the corner, but recently he has
been taught to stand with a corncob pipe In
his mouth. IL his mistress says, "Does
Coley want to smoke his pipe?" away he
goes to the corner, his own particular one,
when small yellow cap is. placed ON one
side Of his head, a certain waggish look
comes into his intelligent eyes, which Is re-
markably funny. Sometimes he has a white
handkerchief tied under his chin and then he
looks like veritable old negro woman smok-
ing her pipe. He is solemn with it ali, while
the spectators are convulsed with laughter,
that It makes it doubly amusing. Coiey Is
very Jealous OF the cat, and one has only to
say "Will Kitty stand in the corner ?' and
Master Coley slips into the corner and stands
up without further ceremony.
Coley Is very atfectlonate dog and dearly
loves his mistress who has fed him, taken
care OF him in his illness, and punished him
when he needed correction. She has only to
say to him, Does Coley love his mistress ?''
and up goes his little hairy arms about her
neck-or to speak more exactly, their stiff
ness obliges him to be content with laying
them over her shoulders-while there are
abundant kisses at her service If she win
consent to receive them.
In one respect, at least ColeY outdoes many
OF the children Of these degenerate days. He
has been taught the useful habit of closing
doors. He always pushes then them open as he
sent back to close them tight.
The brown darling Is very fond, too, Of
carrying things up and down stairs and
from room to loom, thus proving at times
great convenience.
But Coley's most brilliant accomplishment
is playing the piano, Living in the country
his mistress has felt at liberty to have him
practice to an extent sheais too humane to
have allowed, had her lot and that Of the dog
been cast in town where there were neigh
bors to be troubled. lie early developed
marked fondness for music, hurrylng 10 the
music room from any part Of the house when
ever he heard any one playing or singing,
and so the head Of the family conceived the
notion of surprising Coley's mistress on her
return from some weeks absence from home
by teaching the spaniel to play the piano
himself. When eshe arrived the dog was
nearly mad with delight, but when his first
wild transports had abated and his teacher
said; Now, Coley, play the piano." he
mounted the stool at once and brought both
his paws down upon the keys with much
vigor, If not wholly classic expression.
Nowadays II one wishes him 10 play, 1t Is
only necessary to say to him:
Cooley, what does Josef Hoffman do?''
lie has become so fond of performing, or
OF being praised for performing, which may
not be exactly the same thing, that he some
times insists in ousting his mistress frOm the
piano stool and taking her place.
He jumps almost as well as the trained
dogs OF the sawdust ring, while such COM
monplaces as speaking" and the like 90 as
matter Of course. Perhaps the most strik-
ing proof Of his cleyerness is the manner in
which he plays the chambermaid by getting
and making his own bed. He sleeps in the
hall. just outside his mistress's door, on a
rug, which lies during the day in a certain
place In her room. When he goes upstairs
at bedtime he is told Bring your bed Coley'
thereupon he goes to the rug, takes il In 6is
mouth and carries 1t to the proper place. and
goes to bed. But when he first began 10
carry his bed he found that it was so large
that he could not raise 1t high enough to pre-
vent stumbling over it; so his dogship con-
ceiyed the idea Of folding it oyer, thus max
ing 1t smaller, and he now carries it without
difficulty.
AT present Coley is learning to get papa's
slippers for him out OF the closet in the IL
brary, where they stand ready for use. But
when papa comes from business, he will say,
Now, does Coley want to get my slippers?"
ana away marches the doggle to the closet, |
the door of which has been left open for him, |
brings out the slippers and carries them one |
at time to papa, carries back the shoes and
drops them on the closet floor, shuts the |
door and walks off satisfied that he has done |
well.
When there Is company in the drawing |
room COley Is there with his big yellow bow |
tied into his color, for yellow is Coley's color
and as the guests arrive he expects to be
greeted as well as the other members of the
family, He has plenty Of attention and con-
ducts himself beautifully.
A small box in which was the dead body
of an infant was found In the mill pond Al
INnrEa Eridau - ~