The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-31

ing at his ear. Here was a rather intri-
cate command. 1t was not simply a
command to go. 1t said how to go,
where to go. what to do and to whom.
But the terrier understood perfectly.
Now here is a dog having an extraOr-
binary vocabulary, understanding no
doubt no fewer than $50 words. This
one case will show that the pet dog
has wider understanding Of words
than dogs belonging 10 any other class,
ana there is a reason for it, of course.
They are talked to all the time. and
naturally learn to associate certain
sounds with certain objects. 1t would
be interesting to know what the aver
age vocabulary is among dogs, and I
would like to see some expert take the
matter up for the purpose of determin-
ing more definitely just how many
words dogs understand
That reminds me of another inter
esting thing in connection with dog
life" said a listener, land that is the
fine sense of humor found in some dogs.
Here again we have to turn to the pet
dog as being the highest type of hu-
morist, both in the matter of original
ing and in approaching the humorous
things. I am not speaking of the
cloWnish dogs which, we find on the
stage and with trained animal shows.
Dogs of this kind are trained for the
purpose, and often pass through these
funny maneuverS without feeling. They
do it indifferently, mechanically. Spon-
taneity is the spicy element of humor.
I like the dog that is spontaneously
funny. I like the little prank, the lit
tie trick or some little bit of foolish dog
deception that just bubbles out for the
pure sport of the thing, an act of
amusing deviltry; something laughably
mischievous. Acts of this sort are in
finitely more amusing than the more
complex performances of trained dogs.
1--WE have a pet terrier at home who
is naturally a dog humorist Of the kind
have in mind. The other day he was
in the room with me and was stretched
out on the rug before the fire. He
heard my wife coming down the hall.
She was singing. Like a. flash he was
up and made break for the door
through which my wife would enter He
was quiet about his movements and
was very careful not to make the least
noise. He pulled himself up in as
small bunch as possible and hid be-
hind a parlor pillow which was on the
floor near the door. AS my wife came
singing through the door he made a
wild, desperate plunge at her, giving a
loud, long yelp. OF course my wife
jumped and gurgled out a few broken
notes of the song she was humming.
The terrier simply had fit. Laugh!
Well, he simply rolled all over the floor
and he was in a happy mood all dur
ing that day. That's his idea of llumor
and he is always up to some prank iof
this sort, I like the trait and not in
frequently these little happenings serve
to change the whole trend of my
thoughts and put me in better humor
with the world and mankind. In a less
degree nearly all dogs have this trait.
Some of them, of course, outgrow it. In
other cases it develops and becomes
more marked as the dogs become more
resourceful as the result of experience.
There is whole lot in that old
nursery saying 1t made the little dog
laugh to see the dish run away with
the spoon, for the dogs often have a
fine sense Of humo+, and when it has
the element of spontaneity it is rich,
rare and racy."-New Orleans Times
Democrat.