The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-05-12
BRIGHT DOG IS BRUCE.
A Connecticut Canine Who IS Credit
to His Owners
Hartford Courant.

Bruce is a good shepherd dog
with a good pedigree; he has the reg
u,ar Eorth-of- Scotland black and tan
coat. and his home in in Bristol. Yet
he pays frequent visits to the Cou-
rants Office, where his master IS a
member of the staff.
When he is told to say his prayers
Bruce goes to the nearest char, or
anything :.lat he can put his paws
against, and bows his head between
them devoutly When told 70 pray
out loud" he grumbles as if he was
trying to talk.
One day. soon after he was taught
to pray" his mistress suggested tna1
Bruce was not clean and ought to
have bath. whereupon the dog
steered for the chair near at hand'
got Nd on it and commenced praying
in earnest, for a bath is one thing
he dislikes more than any other.
Buryinp his little nose between his
oaws he seemed to be testing the ell
icacy of prayer. Whenever ne has
been bad, needs correcting and a
whipping. he always steers Tor the
nearest chair and commences to pray;
for that has become common eS-
c,rse of his now to get out OF trouble.
His prayers have always been an
:swered.
His power to understand what his
master or mistress says to him IS
almost human. One night when
Bruce was alone in the house with his
mistress he sneezed several times.
Finally his mistress looked up and
said: why, Bruce. why don't you
sneeze aeain?' The dog Immediately
sneezed again as requested and Will
sneeze now whenever asked to.
He knows the names OF the differ
.ent rooms of the house where he lives,
and can tell when his mistress deslg-
mates upstairs" downstairs, or the
~"kitchen," or bed room as we'll as
anybody. He will go to certain
room in the house when told to, and
his master can take him to any
strange house in Hartford. or any
other place for that matter and when
told ito go to the kitchen. he Will
.find that room at once.
When told ito be dead Bruce Will
lie down and stretch out in the atti-
tude of death, as near as he can de-
monstrate it. And when told to come
to life again he jumps up.
IF his master tells him that MS
face is dirty and needs attention.
Bruce will lie down and commence to
wash it with his paws.
When apparently asleep in remote
part OF the room, if his master says
There goes pretty dog, Bruce will
lump up and rush to the window to
look out. He is very jealous ana
knows all the dogs in the neighbour
hood BY name. He is particularly
unfriendly with Don another hne
sabie-colored shepherd. about the
same age. They got into trouble
when puppies and Bruce has never
gotten over it. Don" is torg,ving.
hut Bruce takes every opportunity to
show his dislike.
Bruce's mistress gets spool and
letting Bruce take it in his mouth to
get the scent, tells him to go to an
>other room where he cannot see her
while she hides it. With his nose IN
the air, and all nerves set. he starts IN
to find the spool, solely BY the scent
which feat he acconlplisheS usually
IN less than a minute. He rarely IS
allowed to do the trick more than
twice for it is very exhauStlng.
He knows different people by name.
and recognizes at once what 'S
meant if the name is spoken. When
told to SHOW his teeth" Bruce Will
draw up his lips and show his donble
row of ivor:eS. He is iond OF wearing
a ribbon tied on his collar and one day
when he hadn't been duly decorated
ne went to his mistress'S room and
cot one from the bureau which ne
took to her and did all lie could to