The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-11
SEE DOGS AND PONIES.
The "P.-I." Offers the Children
an Entertainment.
A FIRE TICKET CIV N AWAY.
The show a Popular success Who
Prof. Gentry Is and How He
Trains His Animals.

Appreciating the merits of Prof Gentry's
very novel and attractive entertainment.
and. always alive to the interests OF It's
patrons, the Post-Intelhgeace has made
arrangements so that the children in Seat
tie can see the show free Of charge. The
plan is this: There Will he a coupon in
Fridays issue which, If cut out and
brought TO the Post-Inteiligencer office,
will he exchanged for a ticket that will adj
nit child TO Prof. Gentry's tent, AT the
corner of Front and Wall streets, next Sat
uriav afternoon. This offer Is made by the
Post-Intelligencer so that all the little boys
and girls can see the dogs and ponies All
that is necessary is TO cut out the coupon,
exchange it for ticket and go 10 the show
Saturday afternoon. AS the seating ca
pacity Of the tent. and therefore the num-
Der of tickets, is limited. it would be well
10 call early in order 10 take advantage OF
the offer.
Prof. Gentry, the owner of the dogs and
ponies, is one of the most successful train
ers of animals in the world. and what he
has TO say on the subject is necessarily
very interesting. Considerably more than
a dozen years ago. and when mere boy,
Prof. Gentry commenced training animals.
He had always lived in the town of Bloom
ington, Ind. his parents being very poor.
His first employment was with a small cir
Gus. at the magnificent salary of $50 a
week. His duties were manifold. but con
SiSleu cUieUN IN caring Tor Il IcN lfalneI
dogs that formed one of the principal feat
ures Of the show He continued in this
capacity for about four months, when, at
the expiration Of that time. he left the
showman's employ. returned to his home,
proceeded to corner all the ours in town
and. soon had nine of the sorriest-look-
ing specimens OF the canine tribe in his
possession. at total outlay of $40.
Having secured the subjects. the next
thing was to train them. so with that in
view he used to start in about o'clock in
the morning and work steady until at
night scarcely ever stopping for dinner.
At the end of seventeen weeks he adver-
tised the dogs as ready for exhibition, and
made all preparations for the first per-
Torrance in his home. The natives did
not turn out in quite as large numbers IS
expected. but those who did come were
thoroughly pleased with the performance
given by the enlightened ours. The news
of the merit OF the show soon spread. and
the following night a good-sized audience
assembled TO see the entertainment and
that settled the professors future. In com
pany with his dogs he walked to the next
village, a distance of seven miles He
PLAYED to a good audience there, and has
continued upon the road ever since, enlarg-
ing his company by the addition OF a new
dog whenever an Opportunity presented
it, Later he conceived t. idea of adding
some ponies TO his show. and it has proved
a success.
The present show. which consists Of 107
high-bred dogs and twenty-five aristo-
cratic ponies. is the outcome OF the nine
ours from Indiana ard they are valued ar
$4,000 When asked about his method of
training. Prof. Gentry said: 81 think my
method is somewhat different from that OF
other animal trainers. In the first place,
l have a faculty OF selecting a good sub
ject 1t is very essential in the course Of
training 10 know what dog or horse would
do for some certain act. Having selected a
good subject, I generally teach him simple
obedience to such simple command as
Come here AS obedience is the principal
feature OF training animals, I proceed TO
cultivate the love of the dog or horse, such
as the case NAV he. but never allow him 10
suppose himself master of the situation for
even an instant. After this is accomplish
ed start 70 training for the act desired
The only way | can explain the actual
way Of training him is to say that ! stick
to IL until the animal is possessed of the
desired knowledge. Dogs and horses. and
especially mine. take great delight in dis
playing their talents. This is probably due
to the fact that they are educted by kind
ness alone. To any one who thinks of do
ing any training. I can say it is mighty
hard work ana often after having worked
on one dog for about four weeks and ac-
complished nothing there is a great temp
tation to give il up as a bad job. That T
patience can be easily appreciated when
one sees my canine and equine chums go
through their performance"