Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-21
PETS OF THE RICH
LOADED WITH GIFTS
Santa Claus Provided Rubber Boots
for Delicate Puss and
poodIes

for Delicate Puss and
poodIes
From the Washington Post.
Although not generally known, II Is
true that dogs. cats, parrots and cana
ries receive about as many and as ex-
pensive Christmas presents as children
Just before Christmas the principal
leather goods and animal stores Of this
city laid in big supply of gorgeous
cages, fancy globes and aquariums, dog
trappings galore-in short, everything
that could possibly add to the comfort
or enhance the beauty OF a thorough
bred French bull or Boston terrier
goldfish or canary. Then for several
days before Christmas these stores
were filled with portly, prosperous
bachelors and elderly spinsters, de-
claring that polly must have q new
cage for Christmas" or MY goldfish
will feel sad IL | don't buy them a new
globe" and so on, each person talking
as though his cat or canary, goldfish
or poodle was thing possessed OF
human desires and sensibilities.
Farther east, where such goods are
manufactured, the makers and dealers
are constantly devising some new thing
to catch the eye and open the purse
strings of lovers of animals, and this
year they succeeded in placing on the
market something entirely new and
original. For the past three years
dealers have furnished the owners OF
pugs and poodles with curious little
leather bootees, which they place on
the feet of their pets in damp weather
They are made of red morocco leather
and look quite attractive, but as a
matter of fact afford no protection
whatever during rainy or snowy wea-
ther, sufficing merely for periods ol
damp or cold.
Now there are some people who like
to have their dogs with them at al
times, yet who in the past have beer
obliged to leave them at home for fear
Fido or Tige would contract pneumonia
or something worse by being out iT
the wet. The need for better canine
foot protection passed therefore from
in turn notified the manufacturers, the
result being that the latter placed or
the market this Christmas lot OF
canine rubber boots, we'll made, with
thick heavy soles, and thoroughly Inn
pervious to water. A dog furnished
with couple of pairs of such rubber
boots may splash about in the mud and
snow to it's hearts content without run
ming the risk of catching cold, and thus
it happens great burden and anxiety
is lifted from the minds of kind hearted
bachelors and maiden ladies.
Notwithstanding the exetreme care
which some people take of their pets,
there are few things a dog hates more
than to wear these ridiculous little
boots. Some dogs rebel outright, while
others are made to wear them only af-
ter a deal of coaxing and persuasion
Even those pampered pugs and poodles
that have been accustomed to wearing
such footgear would much prefer to be
without them, and whenever their own
ers start out for a walk they are firs
| Obliged to have a tussle with Fido
who enters all sorts of protests tC
wearing boots that prevent him from
using his nails and paving up the
earth and snow. Moreover, such foot
gear renders the creatures that wear
them all the more susceptible to colds
and illness but, of course, it would
be impossible to convince the averag ge
dog loving bachelor of this fact, who
thinks his dog requires as much care
as himself
The introduction of dog boots was
due to the Italian organ grinders of the
eastern cities, who place shoes on their
monkeys, a species of South American
cebus that is very hardy and can stand
almost any kind of cold weather If well
fed and clothed and protected from the
damp, but the dog is essentially a
northern animal and does not require
such protection 1t is even doubtful
whether in the case of monkeys the
wearing of shoes is of any benefit, for
it has been noticed in the Berlin zoe
where these monkeys run in and out In
all sorts of weather, that they seldom
contract pneumonia.