The Washington times., 1937-03-27

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All the dogs I know now are
radiator dogs. Not even open
fire or coal furnace dogs. But gas
or oil automatic heater dogs.
They are raised by the book and
spend half their time at the vet
erinarian'S. Some of them go,
whenever they sniff, to certain dog
hospital. Here, vaguely indispoSed,
they repose on day beds during
the hours of sunlight. When the
shadows fall they are moved to
night nurseries.
The dogs of my childhood slept
on the doornat outside the house.
They ate whatever was left on the
plates after we had finished our
meals.
They thrived on chicken bones,
mashed potatoes, sugar Jumps and
chocolate cake.
(Say these words to a modern
dog raiser and watch his agony.
The dogs of my childhood had
thick coats Of hair without eczema.
They also had ticks in ticktlme
and always had fleas.
Modern dogs have specially pre-
pared food delivered at the doors
of nervous owners. They take cod
liver oil and calcium.
And they also have distemper
and ricketts, and they are a con-
slant care.
'Whiskers," a wire haired ter
Tier, arrived at our house for
Christmas. It was like having a
new baby suddenly set into the
midst of the family.
A book on the care of dogs came
with "Whiskers." I keep it on my
bedside table. Before I drop off
to sleep I read 1.-THE Diseases OF
Dogs"
I do this because "Whiskers"
has all diseases. From the day he
arrived he has been a problem
pup.
He has caught cold every time
we have taken him out-on
leash. He's had indigestion. He's
been on the verge Of diStemper.
He's had inoculations.
The dogs of my childhood did
not have inoculationS and can't
remember them being sick. One
Of them disappeared in the woods
for three days and came back
dragging steel trap that was I'M
bedded in his hind leg. He limped
for a day or so thereafter and was
then well.
When I think Of him and Of
those other hardy animals. those
pre-New Deal dogs, that used to
know, and look at poor ''WhlskerS,
I ask again what has happened to
the dogs of 1887.
One keen, intelligent dog We
owned-when dogs were dogs-was
Major Ozone, a great, hideous
English bulldog.
Major Ozone had belonged to
Senator Isador Rayner, and was
raised by the gentleman from
Maryland on his farm near Cam
bridge, on the Chesapeake Bay.
When Mr.. Rayner died, Major
Ozone was offered to us. We &C
cepted a little nervously. Major
Ozone had teeth sharper than Red
Riding Hoods big bad wolf.
The Major was really lamb.
We discovered this as soon as the
farm boy from the Eastern Shore
delivered him an automobile at
our door. Though lamblike, the
Major was obviously bored by his
new owners. He was polite, but he
longed for his real folks.
One afternoon we couldn't find
Major Ozone. We searched the
neighborhood. That night we or.
ganized hunting parties, begged
police aid. Where could the dog
be? He knew nothing of Wash
ington. He had crossed on the
ferry from the Eastern Shore and
had been driven straight from An
napolis to our house.
The next morning Mr.. William
Rayner, son of the late Senator,
phoned to say that Major Ozone,
whom they thought was down on
the farm had been waiting with the
milk bottles on their door step.
Had we left him there? We had
not. In fact, we had been fran
tically searching for him. Well,
how had he found this particular
house?
We never knew how. 1t is still
o mystery that among the hun
dredS of thousands of people in
Washington, Major Ozone, a
stranger to the town, discovered
the only family he knew about.
The Rayner grandchildren, with
whom he played on the farm, were
his particular friends. So he went
to stay with them until he died.
Another dog with an uncanny
sense of direction belonged to Mr..
Paul Sleman, when he was a boy,
This dog, a collie, lived on farm
at Round Hill, in the mountains of
Virginia.
One of his exploits has become
history in the family of Mr.. Sle-
man. The dog was brought from
Round Hill by baggage car and
horse and buggy and introduced to
his new home in HyattSville.
On the journey the dog never
set foot on the streets. He was
cooped up in a crate and appar-
ently had no idea where he was
going. Yet two days after his
arrival in Hyattsville the collie dis
appeared. Four days later he ar
A..