Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-10-24
THREE DOG STORIES.
fectio for Their Masters of a New
foundland, a Terrier and 81
Bulldog.

u 0OS, w thC bhHuh
whose time has been spent about the
kennels, "is his devotion to the mem
DRY of a kind master who is dead.
There was a friend of mine who owned
a Newfoundland, and Dash, as they
called him, was never contented when
away from his master. Not long ago
the master was taken i'll. He had to be
moved to a hospital and Dash was left
at home. The dog refused to eat.
about IL o'clock one night he be-
gan to howl. His cries alarmed the
members of the family, who were
greatly concerned about the condition
of the patient in the hospital. While
his cries continued the telephone bell
rang and the message of death came
over the wires. .
Dash was sent away until after the
funeral. After his return a portrait
of his dead master disappeared from
the house. Search showed hat the dog
had carried it into a recess under h
house. It was rescued from him with
difficulty and screwed to al easel in
the library. A rug was put down in
front of it for Dash H lay there with
an expression of unutterable woe on
his face. He wouldn't eat. For a week
he kept his vigil. Once or twice he
licked up a little water, and tasted
dainty food, but he grew weaker day
by day. One morning, ten days later,
the library door was opened and there
was the faithful Dash dead on his rug.
Instances are in which
dogs have remained by the body of q
master, refusing to leave. 1t seems
cruel to think of killing an animal of
this kind to get him out of the way,
and yet it has been found necessary in
many cases. A very remarkable case
of this kind happened a few years ago
within my knowledge. There was a
little fox terrier, a trim little animal
with a wag of his stumpy tail fol-
everyone, and he was the pet of a
young boy who had reared him from
puppyhood. When the little fellow
was taken i'll the dog would creep into
the room, without the least noise, and
would lift himself on the bed to lick
his masters hand. It was really
touching. After a time the boy became
dangerously ill. The dog had to be
excluded from the room, but he sat
by the door, never leaving it, with an
expression of abject sorrow on his lit
tie face.
"The boy died. The dog knew it jus
as well as if he had been human, al
they took him away until after the
funeral. In some way, however, he es-
capped and returned home just as the
body was being placed in the hearse.
He followed it to the cemetery. At
4ha ha ca+ on bic ho,-ohar HE
head cast down, and now and then
his cries, always low and painful,
caused big tears to fall from the eyes
of those who were watching the last
rites. He moved up closer when the
grave was being filled, and when the
mound was being smoothed off and the
flowers put down the dog advanced and
laid himself down at the head A mem
Der of the family tried to pick him up,
but he snarled threateningly and they
left the little country cemetery, and
the terrier stayed there to guard the
last resting place of his master.
"The family believed the dog would
return home that night, but he was
not in his box the next morning. By
noon he had not returned and a servant
was sent to the cemetery. Just as he
got to the path leading down to the
grave the servant heard a wild scream
of pain and terror from the terrier,
and before he could hasten to see the
cause Mack had been killed. The blow
which ended his faithful life was
struck by a workman whom Mack had
attacked when he tried to arrange the
earth on the grave.
"Dogs seem to realize when there is
trouble in the air. There is a true
story of a big bulldog that seized the
hand of a drunken man who was try
ing to kill his master Blink. the dog.
had followed his owner into a bar room
one night and was lying under the
table when a difficulty arose between
johnson, his master, and an Italian.
The Italian fired at johnson one and |
was about to fire again, when Blink
jumped and caught the mans wrist in
a vise-like grip. The italian dropped
the gun. Like a flash Blink released
his hold on the mans wrist and seized
him by the throat. The Italian was
thrown to the floor, and it was not
until johnson had kicked Blink in the |
side that he let go. It was rather hard
punishment for his good services, but
If the kicks had not been given the man
would have been killed by the terrible
~laceration Of the throat