Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-08
ONLY 4 DOG.
DEATH OF DoRR, ONE OF THE NOTED
CALIFORNIA CANNES.
An Animal of Uncommon Inte,lieepce
and Thorough Training-He Left
Good Record

1t was just year ago this month that
RECORD UNION reporter met Fred. A. Taft,
of Truckee, at the Golden Eagle Hotel in
this city. Mr.. Taft had been for several
years Superintendent of the Pacific Lum-
Der and Wood Company, whose mills are
in the mountains near Truckee, but he
was then on his way East, where he in
tended to remain
Yes" he said, 81 am going back to
Dedham (Mass.) to spend the remainder of
my days among my grown.up children
am going back to the old Brush H;lls,
near Milton, where in my young days l
hunted cartridges and woodcock, and
where you, my boy, and your schoolma.es
were gathering huckleberries at the same
time. l an going by steamer, and have
been obliged 10 leave behind me good old
D0rr, my faithful dog-the companion of
many shooting jaunt and pleasure Jour
ney. He is old aud stiff now, and cannot
live long-perhaps not through the winter.
You know him well, and you know his
worth. l will inform you when he passes
away, and will deem il a kindness if you
will give the faithful old fellow an obituary
notice in the RECORD UNION, where Dcrr's
many friends will see it."
Alter the lapse of year, the following
letter was received yesterday:
DEDHAM Mass J, December LIST.
Dear Friend: Poor old DoIr persisted in the
recezt great fire at Truekee. II you have had
anything to say about him, please send me a
copy of the paper. The Boston Post Globe 4d.
uertiser and Herald have ali published notices
of him. Yours FRED A. TAFT,
Dorr was simply dog OF the Gordon
setter species, but be was no common ca
nine. He was the best-tIained dog on the
Pacific coast. His intelligence was almost
human. Indeed, he knew more than a
great many mortais-he could go through
the form OF saying his prayers, and his
morals were OF fer higher order than
those of a large class of humanity. No
man but his master or some intimate
friend of the latter, could prevail upon him
to accept food or drink at his hands; Tor he
had seen enough in his fourteen years ex-
perlence among men in various parts of the
Union to cause him to be suspicious of
mankind in general
While Dorr was always pleasant and
agreeable ompsnion-especially to his
master-his chief merit was his field Quail.
ties. Thorough training had developed his
remarkable intelligence, and whether in
quest OF partrldses among the rock bound
hills of New England, hunting prairie
chickens and grouse on the western prairies
or the cunning California quail in the Sierra
foothills, he was alwaysa Cheerful worker
keen -noseG, stanch on point, and ever
mindful of his sportsman masters wishes
which he understood as well as if he were
modern mind-reader. As trick dog he
had few equals, and ne really appeared to
understand everything his master said 70
him, doing things that it would seem i'm.
possible for dog to DO.
Dorr was well known to Sacramento
sportsmeE-indeed, he had State reputa-
ton, gained by his feldtrial performances
aud bench-show exhibitions. He was the
chief attraction at the first Pacific Coast
Field Trial Clubs meeting, held at Wall
town Timber, in this county, in 1888, where
his intelligence and thorough work was
greatly admired. DORIS pedigree and pub
lie performances were as folioTs:
He was whelped March 90. 1876 His
sire and dam were Don and Lady, imported
in 1872 by E. L. Dorr, of Boston. His frat
appearance at a bench show was in New
York, in May, 1877, when but fourteen
months old, where he received an III. c."
(highly commended). Later he took the
third prize in Boston, beside several special
prizes as the best broken and performing
1880, winning third place in a field of high
class performers, and won first money in
the Pacific coast field trials in California in
1883.
In the latter year he was awarded the
second prize st the bench show in San
Francisco ia the Gordon setter class, ard
first prize as performing dog. At the San
Francisco bench show in 1888 he won the
INST prize in the Gordon setter class, first
prize as the best Gordon of either sex, and
first as the best trick dog. At the 1850
show he was also awarded the highest prize
in his class.
Few dogs could boast of as wide ex-
peiience as Dorr. Before coming to Cali
fornia he had been hunted by Mr.. Taft on
all kinds of game and in many States
snipe, quail. partridges, woodcock, prairie
chickens, sage hens, wild turkeys, wild
ducks, geese, etc. he had quartered field
and meadow in Massachusetts, Rhode IT,
| land, New Hampshire, North Carolina
Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota.
Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Nevada.
Dorr was not dog of the dress parade"
kind. He was plain ruggedly built fel.
low, of good Gordon type; but he had
brains in his shapely head, and nature as
| tender and affectionate as that of a child
He did what many men have not done
he died leaving good record of bis life.
Ii there are happy hunting grounds in the
canine paradise, Dorr will be there holding
his own with the best of his race, and
Uncle" Taft will, from his higher plane,
be found watching the trials and making
notes on his score. card.
c0rTAT AVN