The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-18
MOST INTELLIGENT
OF ALL ANIMALS
The Dog Has Been Mans M oS
Faithful Friend
MEANING IN HIS BARK
Some of His Traits and Wherein He
ExceIs the Horse, Which Has
only a Memory to
Commend.
MEANING IN HIS BARK

Every once in a while / see a COM
ment somewhere or overhear 1t spoken
about the horse being the most intelli-
gent of animals said a man connected
with the Smithsonian institution to a
Washington Star reporter, land I am at a
loss to understand how such a sentiment
should even be slightly entertained.
1.-The horse. from a scientific standpoint,
possesses certain amount of we'll de-
veloped instinct and memory but not in
telligence as the word is understood as
applied to the animal kingdom. The most
Intelligent of animals is the dog. Mans
most faithful friend not only possesses in
telligence as contradstinguished from
mere instinct, but his reasoning facul-
ties are better developed than any. of the
other dumb animals
The dog has been longer and more
constantly at the side of man than any
other Misunderstanding been, In fact, mans
closest companion for many centuries, and
this attachment and affinity will be great
er as the centuries roll on. A fine look
Ing horse appears intelligent, and thus
the word has stuck to him, but as a mat
ter of scientific fact the horse takes on
the characteristics of all hoof animals,
and, aside from his faculty of memory
and even that is not especially developed
he may be said to be dull He is taught
Few things in life by man and he re-
members them. However the horse is an
other story it is the dog now.
Dogs First Instinct.
ITO the average person the bark of a
dog is simply its bark and nothing more
fret it1,t f,,at fp tl,o,
of his master and the latter's household,
and in the fulfllment of this fine devo-
tional trait he is willing and at times
appears by design to be anxious to sur
render his life. Injuries and wounds, even
though he later expires therefrom, do not
diminish this splendid characteristic And
10 other people a dogs growl is simply
his 'growl' but there is a difference as
In his bark.
Dogs have an lnterrogatory groWl a
warning growl, a menacing growl and a
fighting growl, which are Just as dssimi-
lar to the discriminating student of dogs
habits as are the tones of human being
In their various pitches indicating the
state of the temper. Their bark pos
sesseS the same variations, ndicating
very clearly to the observant student
the exact condition of the dog mind
while their bark of happiness is individ-
nal and distinct from their other tones
The emotions of a dog may be APP
pealed to in precisely the same manner
as those of the human being. In fact
your own dog is more sensitive to the
change in your own emotions and feel
ings very often than the members of
your own family. and will often sympa-
thlze with you by a peculiar sympathetic
light in his eyes, by coming very close
10 you, placing his head against your
hand or licking it, long before any other
member OF the human kind in the fam.
lily has caught on that there is something
wrong with you.
The Dogs Emotions.
The dog manifests and clearly define
ates the emotions of joy indifference
sorrow, grief injury and slight, and for
each of these emotions he has a differ
ent attitude and expression When he
stands between his master and pos
sible adversary or enemy his attitude of
alertness and willingness to fight for the
former upon the word of command Is as
clear to the dog student as is the opposite
one of grief. or self-conscious shame
when he has been reproved by the hand
voice or even the eye of the one TO whom
he is anxious to defend so readily when
asked.
Their faculty of reasoning might he
shown in many ways did space afford but
a single Illustration will suffice and 7
VIII take the setter, whose intelligence
nus DCNi siiONii 10 ne very marked. His
master will send him into field to flush
the game. The dog every few minutes
looks back al him. If his master waves
his hand to the right the dog never goes
to the left and vice versa. If he throws
the palm of his hand forward outwardIy
the dog again changes his position. and
never makes a mistake by responding TO
the backward call But sometimes the
master is mistaken as to the whereabouts
OF the BIRDS but the dog knows. so he
mas been known to run back to his mas
ter and by dog talk in barking tell his
master this. The master at once under
stands this talk and allows the dog to
proceed without further direction Some
specimens of this fine breed are too in
teliieent to hunt with a man who cam
not hunt. so they tell him of their dis
gust by making scornfully for home by
the nearest route The hunters intelli-
gent horse would remain until he starved
If he were not driven home"