Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-04-22
DESERET EVENING NEWS.
Tuesday. April "a. 1880.
Tuesday.
A REMARKABLE FRIENDSHIP.
EXISTING BETWEEN THE FAMOUS
TROTIER ''RAKUs'' AND HIS
DOG COMPANION.

No sketch OF Rarus would be COM
plete without some mention Of his
remarkable friendship for a dog,
says n writer in the atlantic Monthly.
When the horse was in California a
fireman gave TO Splan a wiry-haired
Scotch terrier pup, who was then
two months old and weighed when
fun-grown only two pounds. Splan
In turn gave the pup to Dave, the
groom OF Rarus, with the caution
not to let the horse hurt him, for on
several occasions Rarus had bitten
dogs that ventured into his stall.
But to this terrier, who is described
as possessing .'almost human intel
ligence," the trotter took a great
fancy, which the dog fully returned.
They became fast and inseparable
friends.
Mot only,' said Mr. Splan,
''were they extremely fond Of each
other, but they showed their affec-
ton plainly as did ever n man for a
woman. We never took any pains
TO teach <he dog anything about the
horse. Everything he knew came
TO him by his own patience. From
The time took him to the stable
pup until | sold Rarus they were
never separated an hour. We once
left the dog in the stall while We
took the horse to the blacksmith
shop, and when we came tack We
found he had made havoc
with everything there was in
there trying TO get out, while
the horse, during the entire journey,
was uneasy, restless, and in general
acted as badly as the dog did. Dave
remarked that he thought we had
better keep tie horse and dog to-
| gether after that. When RarUs
vent ~ the track for exercising OF
to trot n race the dog would folio W
Dave around and sit by the gate at
his side watching Rarus with as
much interest as Dave did. When
the horse returned 10 the stable after
a heat and was unchecked, the dog
would walk up and climb up on his
forward legs and kiss him, the hone
always bending his head down to
receive the cares. In the stable,
lfter work wss over, Jim and
and the horse would frolic
ike two boys. II the horse
ay down Jim would elm h
IN his back, and IN that way soon
learned to ride him, and whenever l
led Rarus out to show him TO the
| public Jim invariably knew what il
meant, and it enhanced the value
| IF the performance by the manner
in W hich he would get on the horses
back. On the occasion the horse
| was shown the halter, and Jimmy,
who learned to distinguish these
events from those in which the sulky
was used, would follow Dave and
Rarus cut on the quarter-stretch,
and then, when the halt was made
IL front Of the grand stand, Dave
would stOOp down and in q flash
Jimmy would jump on his back,
run up TO his shoulder, from there
leap on the horses back and there he
xolld stand, his head high in the
air and his tail out stiff behind,
barking furiOusly at the people"
Z When Rarus was sold 10 Mr.. Bon
ner, Splan sent Jimmy with the
morse, rightly judging that il would
be cruel TO separate them. But in
Mr.. BOnner's stable there was bull
terrier in charge, and one day when,
Tor some real or fancied affront, the
small dog attacked the larger one,
ana the latter took Jimmy by the
neck anu was fast killing him,
but Rarus heard his outcries, and
oerceiving that his little friend was
in danger and distress, pulled back
on the halter TIL 1t broke, rushed
out Of his stall aud would have
made short work OF the bull terrier
had he not been restrained by the
srooms.