The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-24
DOGS AND THEIR WAYS.
CONCLUSIONS FROM ONE WHO
HAS CLOSELY OBSERVED THEM.

suspicion against ThemSelveS-FiSh
Stories Eclipsed.
From the Washington Star.
The young fellow was coming down the
street, accompanied by three dogs, or, more
correctly speaking, he was accompanying
three dogs; for he had no time to talk 70 the
companion who was with him in any but a
thoroughly unsatisfactory way. This is the
way the conversation sounded. The young
fello" who hadn't any dogs with him was
trying to tell the other man something i'm
portant
Eyes" be was saying, II saw her every
day while was away, and now 1 have
something very important want to talk
to you about. You know I'm"
'Fido! here, come in Flora, Florap The
dogs were straying and trying 20 get
under horse car. The man who had
something to say began over again.
wei, as was saying, you know she's a
perfect beauty, and | am going to"
Jack. Jack! by Jove! that dog will get
run over; come in here, you rascal
II say, an thinking seriously of -"
Flora, Jack Come out of that, | say,
Now, come in here and heel"
well, old man, If youth just promise to
help me out I'll"
"FIdo! D that dog; he won't mind!
l beg your pardon. Go on"
Now you will promise not to tell. but 1
HI there. you dogs. drop that cat!" and
the subject is dropped while the dogs are
taken away from the cat they are worrying.
Now. this Is merely very good sample
OF the kind of conversation that is carried
on when you 90 to walk with a man who
carries his dogs with him. The dogs or the
conversation must be given up, and the
consequence is that the conversation
usually goes to the dogs" as it were
When a man takes his dogs out walking he
ought to carry q whip and go in un-
freQuented parts of the city and be
as free from interruption as possible. He
will lose his temper, he will whip his dogs,
he will probably swear, aud he will SOL
EMMY declare that he never will take
those dogs out again. But the next day
when the dogs come fawDing around him,
and begging to be taken out, he will, if he
Is good-natured man, relent and give
them run. And this will go on for years
II is all very well to call the owner of a dog
his master, but often it is the dog that is
the real master aud oompels tbs man to do
his bidding. He is like the Virginia colonel
before the war, who thought he owned his
negro valet, but the valet knew he owned
the colonel.
Now, the truth of the matter Is that
while there are a good many hunting dogs
in the world, and watch dogs too, neverthe-
less the majority of dogs are merely pets.
A man may say he dslikes pet dogs, but if
you ask him why he keeps dog be will be
/ lzzled TO answer, and, if you investigate,
you will find that he never puts the dog to
any use except pettlng. He likes to have
an animal about that is always glad to see
him and that he can be as ill-natured to as
be chooses.
CANINE HYPOCRISY.
A close student of the ways Of dogs re-
marked to the writer not long ago that dogs
are the greatest hypocrites in the world.
For instance, he said, my dog will 60 mp 20
a member OF the family and fAwn on him
and lick his hand and make out that be
loves hun dearly; then. having won him
over, be will suggest in some unmistakahle
manner the feasibility Of a stroll down tbs
street. Having accomplished mis- purpose
he will, when he comes home, show devotion
to some other member Of the family with a
view to a second walk or something to
eat. The truth is, a clever dog, living in
a family that is fond Of dogs has it sys-
tematized. Such a one, for instance, he
shows affection for in the morning because
he or she gives him his breakfast; another
he worships after breakfast because this is
the one who takes him shopping, an amuse-
him such f1ne chance for doing mischief
aud getting into trouble; another one he en-
deavors to cOncliate because he sometimes
gets whipped by him, and it is clearly to
his interest to keep him in
good humor so that be will
escape punishment for the countless
sins he commits. AS for reforming and be-
having himself he has no intention of doing
that. The children of the family he treats
wi SU iF nf ne he
to play with them he knows they are ready.
If they want to play with him he does it or
not Just as he chooses, He is not on earth
to please them, but they to please him In
point Of fact it may be said Of him, as it was
Of great but selfish statesman, that he al
ways considers tie whole world with refer
ence to himself.
The trouble is that a hypocritical dog
overreaches himself sometimes and "gi YES
himself away" Thus, when he steals into
the pantry and helps himself to a chop that
rightfully belongs to some other mem Der of
the family be comes to his master after he
has eaten and thoroughly enjoyed his stolen
meal, and is so unusually atfectionate and
obedient and charming that anybody can
tell that dog has committed some grievous
sin and is trying TO deceive you in the be-
lief that he never. never stole bone in all
his life; that he scorns the imputation 4;
that be is no thief, although he broadly
hints that there are dogs in the neighbor-
hood who would steal the cold meat OF
blind beggar. But as soon as you call the
dog into the pantry, the scene of bis depra-
dations, he throws up his case and hides,
thereby admitting his guilt. When you
haul him out from his concealment and
whip him the agony OF mind be suffers is
terrible to see, but in five minutes he will
be happy again and If a chop is thrown in
his way the next day, and there is nobody
around, depend upon it he will risk taking
1t, for he believes in himself and thinks he
can manage things this time so well that he
will not get caught.
O, yes, dogs are clever rascals. Was there
ever a kind, gentle, good-hearted man
whose dogs loved him as much as do The
dogs of some worthless, cruel fellow? They
have a way of discovering virtues in men
that nobody else cares about, and finely
bred dogs are apt to contract intimacies
with the meenest, most plebeian ours they
can find. Other dogs they will quarrel aud
fight with
READING CANINE CHARACTER.
You may talk about the difficulty Of read
ing human nature, but where is the man
who can truly read dog uature1 1t is easy
to tell a good-natured dog from one that is
cross, if you only know how, but how
many people are there that do know how?
As a general thing dogs that are honest,
good fellows, have eyes far apart and broad
noses, Just as it is with people, but, at the