Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-28
BUM DOGS.
A Very Singular Class of the
Canine Species.
They Exist in Numbers in All
Large Cities.
Dogs Which Will Not Tolerate a
Home or Master.
Their Ways and Habits - bum" and
"Lazarus'-"Chip," Los Angeles
Public Character.

geles are more or less interested in dogs.
Estimating the population of this city
at fifteen thousand families, with an
average of dog to nearly every other
family, it may be supposed that some
thing like 1000 dogs bask in the sun
shine of this perfect climate. AS with
men, so with dogs only very few be-
long to the favored aristocratic classes,
that have pedigree to which they can
point with pride, or which, for that
matter, is known at all. OF this 900
all except few hundred belong to the
variety known as ours. The few aristo-
Gratis, however, manage, according to
the custom OF their sort, to absorb most
of the fame and press notices that go to
the entire race. Books are written
about them, magazines published in
their honor and once year in most of
the cities of the Union grand dog festi-
walls take place in which the high-toned
gentry are shown off to an admiring
populace and the heraldic emblems of
their families are displayed and then
entered up in the canine Almanac de
Gotha. To this select gathering of
swells, the plain ordinary dog is not ad-
mitted. 1t does not appear that he
takes it much to heart, however, and in
this as in some other things he shows
his superiority over his human cousin.
Nobody makes much of habit of
studying into the ways of the cur dog,
and for that reason few people are aware
of the existence of peculiar class among
them known as the ''bums." They cor
respond almost exactly to the human
tramp. Nearly all dogs, whether they
are of good breed or not, have the senti-
ment of locality more or less developed.
Being of domestic disposition, it is
part of dogs nature to have master
and to stick to him with more or less
fondness. Similarly with a man, it is
generally ruling tendency with him to
have a home and friends. The tramp,
want any; he forms, as general thing,
no lasting attachments. He finds that
he enjoys life best wandering about the
country, living on what he can beg or
steal and having no one toward whom
he must ever feel the prompting of a
sense of duty.
The analogy between the tramp and
the "bum" dog is striking in many
ways. The dog is usually driven into
his nomadic habits by necessity
through the loss of master
: and home. He wanders about
the streets, picking up stray pieces of
bread and meat that happen to fall in
his way. Bye and bye his continued
presence in certain localities is apt to be
noticed by the people who frequent
them (often these people are loafers like
himself), and they will assist him in his
efforts to skirmish for livelihood. In
a short time the "bum" dog will have
something very like route; he has be-
come FOUNDER" and ''works lay"
like the most industriously lazy member
Of the human species. And here is
where the strangest part of the analogy
comes in. Once the animal has become
a thorough "bum" he can never be re-
claimed. He may for short time form
attachments for men, and in a general
way he will prefer to frequent certain
localities, but he will never acknowledge
permanent master, nor will he settle
down in any definite home. He be-
comes a dissolute, irresponsible charac-
ter, useless as dog-that is, if dog
has any legitimate uses in these times
and doubtless held up by thoughtful
canine mothers to their offspring as an
example of general depravity.
The "bum" dog, nevertheless, is q
cradle degree of popularity with a GER
tain element OF his own and the human
species. He is perfect Bohemian, and
enjoys the sympathy OF that class and oi
all the classes that partake of it's life.
The night is the best part of the twenty
four hours for him; the daylight causes
him to suffer from ennui, and he pre-
fers to keep out of sight. He
puts in an appearance with the dusk o1
the evening and begins to make his
rounds. In the course of the night he
will look into dozen favorite saloons
several hotel lobbies, the theater en-.
trance, police station and newspaper
offices. He trots up and down the
streets where there is most light anC
life, waiting for the appearance Of some
one of his numerous friends, canine Of
human, with whom he can pass {
friendly bark, or from whom he can ger
a piece of meat. If he is lucky enough
to come upon some rollicking party who
are making the rounds, he will fall il
with them, and just about dawn will be
seen following in the footsteps of the
one who is the proud possessor OF the
largest ''jag."
The "bum" dogs friends are such as
he would naturally acquire in leading a
naughty life like the one described. Il
his route happens to be located in the
disreputable part of town, his COM
panions will be tramps and bad charac-
ters OF all sorts. If the field of his oper-
ations lies in the business centers, his
particular friends and intimates will be
policemen, reporters and the gentlemen
Of leisure who frequent places of public
resort. Once in a while someone will
take fancy to him and decide to adopt
him. The "bum" is taken to some
respectable residence and offered home
and regular living. For few days he
will perhaps appear to be contentec
enough, but presently he is off and bach
again at his old mode of life.
There were two dogs of this sort il
San Francisco several years ago, who
became in the course OF time quite
famous and were often written up in the
papers. They were known as Bum anC
Lazarus. Lazarus was the adopted son
of Bum. The latter had been well
known character for some time, 6
frequenter after nightfall of saloons anc
public houses. He was a Thorough type
Of the species. One night he discovered