The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-03-04
DOGS'NPLAcr OF HORSES
.lcago CANNES Pressed
into Useful Service.
arnessed in Small Wagons They
Help to Deliver Newspapers
--Cheap and willing
WORKERS..

1t is not only IN the hlondlke' 'Hdl
dogs driven to harness are used ana
found valuable: the seeker after ln1or-
nation concerning draft dogs need
not go to Holland, where they are used'
extensively in place of horses, for there
are draft dogs in Chicago which 90
their daily stint OF work as regularly as
horses. are fed and housed as carefully
as any other live stock and do not spend
their evenings gadding about the neigh
borhood in search OF canine company.
Over on the West side, where the
dogs come from, number OF cannes
are pressed into service in haullng
newspaper carts for cnterprising
Young vendors who cannot afford
horses, and their owners declare they
are far preferable 10 horses for man
of modest means. They do their work
equally well, are kept al much lower
rate of expense and require almost no
care or attention when their duty IS
over. i horse must be bedded and cur
ried and watered and blanketed, and
otherwise consumes time and attention.
The dog looks out for himself as soon
as he is freed from the thralldom of
the harness. Only let a feeding place
be established where he can find few
old things to eat once in awhile and
give him corner to curl up in when
he wants to sleep and the dog demands
no more attention.
Many newspaper carriers use dogs to
haul little homemade wagons Sunday
morning. when the papers are much
heavier and when it is impossible for
a boy to carry all the papers required
on paying route. A soap box mounted
on a pair of old wheels, shafts fashioned
of odd pieces of board, homemade
rope harness and the outfit is complete.
The dog is usually a Newfoundland,
large and strong enough to trot along
briskly with the heavy load of news
papers, and his master runs along be-
side the little wagon, guiding the dog
with lines or by chain attached to the
collar
Butch" Wagner who runs a morn
ing and an evening route in the neigh
borhood of his home, Lyle and Twelfth
streets probably has the best outfit of
this kind in town. He has Newfound-
land dog to haul the little wagon load
of newspapers, and another dog, a noisy
fox terrier, to ride on the load and
guard it from the paper thieves while
the master of the outfit is absent The
draft dog knows the route as we'll
as does Wagner, and he trots gravely
around it night and morning without
word of command and waits patiently
while Wagner runs to the different
doors with the papers. Meanwhile the
terrier mounts guard, and there is
trouble ahead for anyone who dares ap-
proach the wagon. With bristling back
and grinning teeth the little fellow will
defend the property in his care, bark
ing and growing if a pedestrian APP
proacbes too near the wagon.
Every morning the strange little COM
pany is seen going the rounds near the
Jesuit church, Wagner having to pay
no heed to either dog, since both have
learned their jobs thoroughly. The one
that pulls the wagon is as steady-going
rs a milk wagon horse, and there is
never fear of his boiling after cat
or dog that may cross his path The
terrier never deserts his post on the
top OF the load of newspapers. and the
labors OF the carrier are greatly light
eneG at practically no expense. The |
cost OF dogs keep is trifing, and |
the family would probably keep the dog
even 1T he was not used for draft pur-
poses. Therefore all he does is clear
gain to his owner. He requires no barn |
and no care, save to be fed occasionally. |
and the intelligence of the Newfound- |
land dog is fully equal to- that of the |
horse so far as learning a route or obey
ing words of command are concerned.
The lads who carry papers have found |
that dogs are especially serviceable in |
winter when walking is bad. A box
car be readily fitted to sled which
even small dog can hustle over the
snow at lively rate. There are many
more draft dogs seen in winter on
this account, and it takes them but a
short time to put aside their frisky
ways and realize that they are set
apart for serious business.
Most of those in service are willinr
workers and do not have to be coaxed
or driven to work. They appear to take
to it naturally, and after the first few
days in the harness their masters have
no further trouble with them.-Chica-
go Chronicle.
Prehistoric Needle Factory