The San Francisco call., 1897-01-24
years ago. there appeared in

@SOME years ago. there appeared in
~ popular magazine some verses on
@SC the subject of pets. The title, as
remembered, was The Girl for Me-; the
argument that although various animals
were petted by various young women,
who thereby showed their kindhearted-
ness and general amiability, there was
only one kind of a pet the possession of
which proved its owner TO be endowed
with all womanly charms and virtues.
Dogs, cats, parrots and canaries were all
very well, the poet declared, but only a
damsel who petted 1.-The gentle gazelle"
could hope to win his heart. We're that
poet in San Francisco to-day his heart
must needs remain in his own keeping,
since dillgent inquiry has failed to dis
cover such an animal among our cIty's
many pets. The feminine mind here, as
elsewhere, incIines to BIRDS, cats and small
dogs, as a general thing; the masculine
to horses and the larger varieties OF the
genus canis, and "the bright gazelle with
its silvery feet" is not apparently IN de-
mand.
The day of the English pug-the corpu-
lent snarly-nosed little fellow, with the
shoulder-brace and double AIsatian bow
attachment-has gone by. Heis no longer
fashiona Bile, and although he may still be
cherished by a few fond hearts, his slcck
has gone down much below par among
his whilom society friends. In his place
now appears the pretty little japanese
spaniel, miscalled the japanese pug, and
no one III town has more charming Spe-
cimen of this breed than Miss Jennie
Blair Miss Blair is noted among her
friends for her discriminating fondness
for dogs, and she owns only such as are of
most aristocratic lineage. Her dogs are
all perfectly trained, but there are no
tricks in their course of study. They
are pets pure and simple, and live their
lives freely and happily, repaying their
mistress kindness by the most devoted
attachment Two Of Miss BIair's dogs, a
Yorkshire terrier and a Maltese poodle,
have died recently, but there are four re-
naming. of which Yorkshire terrier, i'm
ported three months since, is perhaps the
most notable. Shamrock is said TO be the
finest animal of his kind now in this coun-
try, and is beautiful creature, weighing
only four and three-querter pounds, and
possessed of a pedigree as long as INC
Cleish's ae dochter." OF her two re-
markably hne Cocker spanIels, jill and
Prince, Jill is specially noted for her ami
ability and intelligence, but Shika, the lit
tie japanese, is nearly as much OF favor
ite Shika, which means dear" is one
of the smallest and most valuable of her
extremely aristocratic family. She seems
well aware that she is dog ''of high de-
gree" and holds her comical little wrin-
kIed nose high in air accordingly, though
she is susceptible to flattery and graciously
condescending in her manners.
Dr.. Arthur T. Regensburger divides h is
surplus affections between his cello and
his dogs. Some of the best st. Bernard
puppies on the coast have come from the
genial doctors kennels and he makes pets
of every one of them as long as they are in
his possession. Mrs. Regensbur spe-
cial pet is a preternaturally lively fox
terrier named Doc. Doc is a vocalist, but
in a small way, as his repertoire is limited