Evening star., 1934-02-08

1t may at times, and under certain
conditions, become q foe.
Especially in civilization, or what
passes as such, the average human be-
ing finds 1t dif1lcult to believe that
any dog is going to harm him.
This certainly makes the near-as-
ssults Of unfriendly dogs all the more
terrifying. The unexpectedness Of
such 0nslaughts scarcely leaves time
for the pedestrian to make up his
mind whether he must defend him.
self, usually with his bare hands, or
pretend that he doesn't mind.
Good doggie, good doggie," he calls
in a loud, friendly voice. trying to
placate the dog and calm his own
nerves with the same words.
Which needs attention the most
must remain a personal question.
What right, after all, has any per-
son to maintain such dog, to
frighten innocent passersby. and con-
stitute q perpetual threat against
them?
There perhaps is no section Of
Washington and suburbs which does
Often the owners seem to try to
dc the right thing by keeping the
creatures in the house as much as
they can. but too often they permit
them to run at large at certain times
of the day.
No such dog should ever be per-
mitted to run at large, not only for
The sake Of strangers. but also for the
sake of the owner.
The world is fond Of believing that
those who love dogs constitute a select
class of human beings. While this
naive belief must be taken with a
grain of salt, still dogs do tend to
make the whole world kin.
Their lovable qualities are only
equalled by their sturdiness in defense
of their masters and their masters
homes.
1t may be said, then, perhaps with
some justice, that the semi vicious dog
is only acting up to its nature
Alas, if 1t were as easy as that!
The truth appears to be that such
a dog fails in two directions.
1t has no dog common sense, and
/ 1t cannot be trusted
The writer here has known many
such dogs, over the years. and not a
one of them has failed to live up to
its easily read character
/ Each one has, at last, attacked some
person, and injured him severely
! And, since most of these owners
we're perfectly decent people, they
{ fo1t Tho iy,ii
/ keenly, and the ultimate justice of the
law which decreed the end of such
a treacherous animal.
~
| Since such dog never can be
/ trusted, it is just as likely to turn on
! its owner or some member of the
family, as on a stranger
The owner should never forget that
by permitting the pet to dash into
the street, in mock pursuit of paSsers-
by. he is allowing the dog to train
its inner grudge against mankind.
Those opposed to war always de-
clare that the possession of large
armaments means their ultimate use,
as a very matter of course.
1t may be believed that the same
applies to this type Of dog The real
friend of dogs can detect the inner
grievance against mankind in the fel-
lows eyes. There is look there not
often found in a dogs beautiful eyes
Such a dog is not to be trusted
and the owner thereof should realize
before it is too late that he may be
the victim as we'll as another. Once
a dog reveals its inability to live in
town or suburb, 1t should be sent to
a farm where 1t may enjoy a life
nearer to its hearts desire. where nat
ural freedom in time may tend to
make it grow less ferocious, and, foT
a dog, more normal.