The Grit-advocate., 1905-05-26

~ -St is the best kind of dog for
a boy, without knowing
-A-I what kind of boy is meant,
2!9H l9ll where he lives, and espe-
clally what his amusements are, for
dogs share the pleasures rather thar
the duties of life.
However, if one had to select a STAN
dard dog for boys, one would probably
choose the fox terrier.
The fox terrier is good deal of
boy himself. He is small; he is tough;
he is lively; he can run fast; he can eat
things that no sensible dog ought to
eat, and, perhaps most important of
all, he is not sensitive or shy. l mean
no disrespect to boys-whom l sincere
ly admire-when l say that dogs, as
rule, are more sensitive than boys;
their feelings are more easily hurt, and
their dispositions are more retiring.
In fact, any kind of terrier. Scottish,
Welsh, Irish, Airedale. black and tan
now almost extinct - bull or Boston.
makes good boys dog. except that
the Boston terrier is apt to have poor
=. constitution, and. unless carefully
-Sbrought up. a taste for fighting.
The common characteristics of ter
riers, whatever the particular kind, is
a certain vim, n liveliness of DISPOSE
ton, 4 thirst for sport. rough-and-
ready, up-and-coming sort of tempera-
ment, and this is also characteristic of
the boy.
If, however, the boy has the good
fortune to live in the country, he may
Il; Ii; e b,,
want collie, for example, TO help him
fetch the cows, or even to take that job
off his hands altogether. Many collies
are so capable that they can do every
thing in the way of driving cattle and
sheep, except to take down the bars of
the pasture.
But for city life the collie is of all
dogs the least fit; indeed, he can hard
ly be kept in the city without cruelty.
The same remark also applies also to
settlers and pointers, who need so much
exercise thai, unless sheir keepers are
prepared to walk about twenty miles Il
day, they will suffer from confinement.
Most country boys are great hunters.
and would like to have n dog who can
put up partridges for them. and re-
trieve the birds after they have been
shot For this purpose a spaniel, either
Il cocker or a water spaniel, is the
best; and yet one hesitates to recon-
mend spaniel for boy. The spaniel
is, of all dumb animals, the most af-
fectionate, the most sensible, the most
docilc, the most human.
o boy, if generous father or rash
fr;n ,rir ial ha kind IN
Om! Remember that, although only a
dog, he is capable Of great happiness
md of great misery. and that his fate
Is in your hands. SO conduct yourself
that you will never incur a reproachful
glance from his pathetic, appealing
eyes.
The spaniel would be perfect char
acter-and therefore unfit for this
world-were it not that he is too fond
of eating. Some boys, it is said, have
the same failing, but when the boy
grows up he learns to control his appe-
tite, or, more probably perhaps, he has
dyspepsia, and loses it. The spaniel,
on the other hand. always retains his
appetite, and is likely TO become too
fat in old age or even in middle life.
A fat dog can hardly be healthy one:
rheumatism and other troubles assaii
him.
The long heavy ears of spaniel are
beautiful, but they are liable to in
dammation, and, in Il less degree, so
are the ears of settlers and all other
long-haired dogs. For this reason the
inside of the ear should occasionally be
washed with soap and water, and care
fully dried. This is especially neces
sary when the roads are dusty.
If the dog shakes his head, or if the
car has an offensive smell. he is suffer
ing from canker, which should be
treated at once, for otherwise it will
eventually kill the dog. Boraic acid,
in the form of a powder, dropped or
blown into the ear. will often effect Il
cure, and if this fails, something more
pOerful must be used.
Always be sure that your dog has ac-
cess TO a dish of water somewhere ut
every moment of the day. Few per-
sons realize how often Il dog needs Il
drink. In summer an active dog will
drink water every few minutes if he
can get it.
On the other hand, the boys dog is
likely to suffer from too much water,
taken externally. The dog loves TO
plunge in and swim about, or fetch n
stick; the boy loves to see him do it,
and the amusement is a healthy one in
warm weather. But do not let your
[ dog go into the water OH a chilly day
or too late in the day.
The following is Il good rule: keep
your dog out of the water unless the
conditions are such that he will be dry
/ by the time he gets home. Many a fine
dog has died from pneumonia OF spinal
meningitis as the result of going home