The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-06-10
ABoUT DOGS.

DR.. Francis H. Rowley, president of
the Massachusetts Society for Proven
ton of Cruelty to Animals has a very
| interesting article in a recent issue of
Our Dumb Animals, on dogs.
DR.. Rowley writes as If he might
have read some of the curses that
| have been heaped upon the canine in
Fargo. On the subject of the dog he
says:
If you don't like him there's no
need of argument. The difficulty is
congentital. 1t happens you were
born with that side of human nature
left out to which the dog makes his
appeal. There are boys that were
never so happy In all their boyhood
as when they came into possession
of their first dog. He might have
been poor, homeless tramp mon
grel Of mongrels-but once they got
piece Of clothesline around hts neck,
or string, and could induce him to
be led home, and the gracious mother
permitted him to stay, what JOY! He
must even sleep beside their bed at
night. How welcome was his CRATE
ful love! Then when attacked, per-
haps. by the distemper, he sickened
and died, did any hotter tears ever
run down your boyish cheeks? How
carefully you buried him! With what
tenderness you tried to print on the
single, that served as tombstone, his
name and age! Nothing could have
tempted you to desecrate his grave.
His memory is still sacred after all
the years. That sort Of experience
is utterly impossible to many a lad,
and the lad is father of the man.
There are grown men and women who
live in mortal terror of dogs. Others
simply do not like them. Others
still think OF them as chiefly existing
to communicate to human beings the
virus of rabies.
The danger Of the man who really
knows what a dog is, in his ca
pacity for intelligence, effection, 10y
atty, unfailing devotion, is that by
over-extolling the dog, he antagonizes
his neighbor who is minus the dog
side In his makeup, and increases his
unfriendlinesss to the dog. In the
presence Of those who look with sus-
picion or fear upon the most faithful
of mans four footed friends 1t is bet
ter for us who know him not to say
too much. They wouldn't believe us,
as 1t is they think us prejudiced, and
just a trifie weak somewhere in our
mental makeup.
Some one remarked recently by way
Of friendly criticism of our admira-
ton for the dogs splendid mag
nanimity in forgiving any unkindess
of his thoughtless or cruel master.
that even any self respecting dog
would resent a kick. Not from his
master, or at least only for a moment.
The above writer said, cit isn't human
to be so forgiving and magnanimous
as the dog" True but II is divine.
Have we never read Of one who
when he was reviled, reviled not
again, when he suffered, threatened
not" who even dared to say some
thing about turning the other cheek.
The fact remains, however, that he
who knows the dog, and of course
you cannot know him unless you love
him, any more than you can a human
friend, has learned not a few of the
finest lessons that life has had to
teach. More than one mans soul has
understood the truth beneath these
words:
"Ah, Blanco! Did / worship God
AS truly as you worship me,
Or follow where my Master trod
With your humility.
Did l sit fondly at His feet,
AS you, dear Blanco, sit at mine,
And watch Him with a love as sweet,
My life would grow divine"
lfy Get busy and make Fargo fyless.
"a Old Doc Cook will spend the
summer cbautauquadzing.
ky Life wants bachelors arrested
for contempt of courtship.