The San Francisco call., 1909-05-23
HOW ONE BUREAU
WENT TO THE DOGS
One of the Queer Things That
Happened in the Department
of Labor and Commerce
Issues Remarkable Document
That Has Proved a Sad
Puzzle to Wise Men

WASHINGTON. d. c.. May 15.-Of the
making of books by the government
there is no end. and many queer sub
jects are found for. basis for the
writing of books by the government
/ efperts- The books fall into queer
/ hands and come from queer branches
or bureaus of the administrative part
OF the government. One OF the latest
efforts is a little treatise or brochure
supplying the information that some
of the governments OF the old world
are training dogs TO be utilized as
part of the police force. or. in other
words, to be aids OF the constabuIary.
And. strange to say. this book is is
sued by the bureau Of manufactures.
/ Now, can any one under the sun see
what connection there can be between
police dogs and manufactures? This
/ bureau of manufactures is a part OF
/ the department OF commerce and labor
and the wonder grows in intensity
when we try to define the connection
/ between commerce and labor and po-
/ lice dogs. unless il is the far fetched
idea that trained dogs might tighten the
Z
QUEER THINGS ARE DONE
/ A number of queer things have. in
/ the times past. emanated from this
same bureau OF manufactures. Not
long ago il gravely and rearnedly dis
cussed the vagaries of 1ies and mos
I quitoes and their esthetc tastes in the
I choice OF blood when seeking a square
meal. After an elaborate argument
they concluded that If negro an
white man were journeyfng together
/ through fly or mosquito infected re-
sion seven out of every 10 Of the In
sects would show their degenerated
/ taste by choosing the black man for a
meal instead of the white man.
The wise men OF Washington, and
/ Washington is full OF wise men. puz-
zled long time to discover Just where
mosquitoes and manufactures had a
4 common interest. and then gave 1t up
/ The question may be asked why this
/ bureau, supposed to be wholly con-
/ cerned with gathering up facts In re-
gard 10 the various manufacturing
/ industries of the country assumes the
+ burden of enlightening the people on
the peculiarities- of those two festive
1 insects. the fly that gets in it's work
when the sun shines and the mosquito.
/ when darkness covers the face of the
earth. and this last subject of the
training OF police dogs.
I SECRETARY'S CUNNING JOKE
/ The government requires those who
hold places as American cOnsuIs in the
1 choice towns and cities OF other lands
10 make reports on matters they may
| suppose TO be of great public interest.
Now there are consuls and cOnsuls.
/ and the state department became tired
| of the work of sorting out and making
public these reports. so when the new
department of commerce and labor was
l organized a cunning secretary OF state
had these reports turned over to the
new department and the department
placed them in the hands of the bureau
| of manufactures, by the way OF perpe-
I trating a joke, it is thought. That is
how this bureau is called upon to
interest itself in matters entirely out
of it's line.
The book on the question of police
! dogs is a little pamphlet OF 16 pages
/ profusely illustrated and conveys the
/ information that Belgium. France and
/ some of the other enlightened cOun-
1 tries of the old world are now engaged
I in training dogs for important posi-
/ tions and duties on the police force.
/ WHAT A DOG MUST DO
! We are told that among the lessons
/ the dog is required to learn before
/ taking his place IS a full hedged
/ policeman are 10 follow at the heels
] command. TO scale a wall. TO jump
/ hedge, find his master when turned
/ loose after having been shut up in
his kennel. find an object by scent,
find the hiding place of an individual
+ to keep an individual at bay without
4 biting him. defend his master if at
} tackled suddenly by an armed man:
/ when he finds an individual who is in
/ hiding he must make IL known by
/ barking. When the dog has learned
4 these and a few more similar stunts
/ he receives a diploma and is entitled
/ to an appointment on the police force
/ to flI the first vacancy. 1t is a sort
/ of a dog civil service examination.
/ No particular breed of dogs is ia
I vored for these position. but bulls and
\ shepherds appear to learn their stunts
the most readily and take more natur-
! ally 10 the life OF police duty. The un-
/ thinking may jump to the conclusion
/ that these police dogs are TO be en-
! ployed TO run down vagrant CANNES.
but il is not so Man is to be their
/ objective point If that man is an object
/ of police surveillance. They are to be
4 the fdes Achates OF their master In
uniform.
MUST BE WISE DOGS
/ In short. they are 10 be the police
/ quadruped. guarding and looking after
/ the safety of the police blped. When
I Ills master - OH Uuty ttlc QOe HluSb iiOfc
/ around him in a circle, being scout.
/ bodyguard and escort all at the same
K time. He must he ready when wanted
and when not wanted must keep his
| tongue still and not by untirnely
4 bark disturb his master while he -
exchanging friendly condolences with
/ the pretty housemaids. In short he
muse be discreet. as wise as a serpent
and as harmless as a dove.
/ Thus is the police dog as introduced
to the American public through the
/ medium of the bureau OF manufac-
/ lures in the department Of cOmmerce
/ and labor, and all this information was
/ obtained by an Industrious and hard
\ working American consul in one OF
\ the cities of Belgium and divulged to
| the department Of state. which In turn
I gave the information to the afOremeR-
/ toned bureau OF manufactures
1t Is suggested that the Introduction
/ of the dog police into the American
system would be a good thing. This
means the making OF places for an
/ other small army%of Office holders.
/ s,cb as dog trainers dog doctors ETC.