The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-16
LAST OF A GOOD DOG
SCaIy Pete Goes to the Land
Where CIaWIeSS Cats
Abound.
WAS A SPORT IN HIS DAY.
His Brindle Hide Bore the Scars
of Many a Fierce En-
counter.

"Scaly Pete" a resident bull terrier of
the Sutter-street Market, has passed to that
country where clawless cats are as plenti-
full as leaves in Vallombrosa, and where
his happy spook can worry them all day
without risk of scratch. Pete was good
type of the market dog. He had been a
fighter in his youth, and his brindle hide
bore the scars of many a fierce encounter.
Tough citizens had wagered their sesterces
upon his prowess, his vigor and his dodgi-
ness, and he had claimed the proud dis
tinction of being the premier bone breaker
of his day and generation. But the life of
a fighting dog is wearing one, and as the
pugilist retires from the ring to keep a sa-
loon, so Pete abandoned the grim, earnest
tussle in the pit for the milder and harm
less occupation of killing rats against time.
Luxury finally got the better of him.
He devoted himself to the pleasures of the
table, and at his last appearance in a SUIT
ter-street rat pit looked at the rodents
with well assumed curiosity, and lay
down to sleep in the tan, as if the presence
of the rodents were none of his business.
Resolved to become voluptuary and
live on his record, ''Scaly Pete" made the
Sutter-street Market his habitat, and
hourly consumed large quantities of raw
meat He grew fat and blear-eyed, and
the falling off of the butcher business in
Lent seemed to affect his mind. So, just
as Easter was at hand, Pete passed in his
checks.
He had few associates among dogs of
the better class. High-bred pointers and
settlers, who worked for their board, looked
down upon him. Big Newfoundlands, st.
Bernards, Mastiffs and Great Danes would
not exchange even a growl with him; so
the erstwhile champion was unwillingly
forced to associate with terriers and mon
grels, or live altogether without campan-
ionship.
An obese, wheeZy nondescript, who lived
in the C!ay-street Market, used TO trot up
town occasionally to spend an hour with
Pete, and compare notes OF prime scraps
and the effect of beef liver on the diges-
ton. When this friendship became ce-
mented the mongrel brought a friend
along, a resident of the same locality, who
had seen a great deal of life while turning
a wheel for an Italian knife-grinder's ma
chine. He, too, had surrendered the
giddy Whirl of this bewildering life for the
freedom of Clay street ank bluff at keep
ing the rats thinned down. Yet he had
never been seen to kill rat, but would
make a desperate bluff at blood thirsty
pursuit, taking good care to give the YER
min grace enough to get into its hole. His
bowls of desperation and chagrin were so
intense and ear-piercing on these occasions
that his reputation as an indefatigable rat
ter kept hin in board and lodging.
Pete was always apparently glad to see
the mongrel and his chum, but could never
be induced TO return their calls. Possibly
he informed them that his increasing deaf
ness and rheumatism made him nervous
about getting into the track of dummies,
and that TO catch a nose-tormenting blow
fly was the limit of his eXertions. He had
killed hundreds of rats, had throttled his
adversary in the ring, he had backed down
dogs more than twice his weight, he had
broken the launches of agile cats, and all
he desired in his declining years was
plenty to eat and a few friends about him.
That Pete still retained some of his an
Gent skill was demonstrated when a burly
mastiff from Van Ness avenue, a typical
four-hundred dog, insulted him few days
before his death. Pete was lazily gnawing
a bone and the owner of the mastiff was
selecting a steak. The fresh dog jostled
the veteran, and made a pass al the bone.
But Pete had him in the twinkling of an
eye, and took all the fight out of him with
one grim throat hold.
His memory will be green for a week or
two, and the only one who will not regret
him is a vagrant, bilious-lool1ing spaniel at
the news stand around the corner, who has
been long waiting to take Pete's place.