Evening star., 1941-01-06
Well>Trained
Dog Will Be
Popular
Don't Int1ict Pet
On Friends Who
May Object
By BETSY CASWELL,
Woman's Editor.

Most dogs are perfect-in the
eyes of their owners.
Most dogs are nuisances-in the
eyes of the owners friends and
neighbors.
1t is a pity that this should be
so-especially as the dog isn't re-
sponsible in either case. He is ex-
actly what his owner makes him
by training and diScipline-no more,
no less. A doting master makes or
breaks his pet, according to how he
brings him up, and how he treats
him with relation to human asSo-
Citations.
We read an awful lot, these days,
about ways for the human being
to make friends and please people.
But there isn't much to be found
In print regarding the necessity for
making your pet pooch the toast
of the neighborhood. And that Is
a far more serious matter than 1t
appears at first glance.
Indeed, a particularly unpopular
dog lives in constant danger of be-
ing Shuffled off this mortal coil
by the poison route-the Mickey
Finn being administered by some
anonymous ill-wisher who has put
up with canine trespassing, noise
and general persecution until he
could stand it no longer. We agree
that a dog poisoner is just about
the lowest creature to be found on
earth-but he does exist, and there
is no use letting Rover upset him
to the breaking point. All the con-
demnation on the deed-au the
voices raised in anguished protest
won't bring Rover back to life, or
spare him the agony of a poison
death.
This catastrophe is, of course, the
extreme. Usually friends and neigh
bors suffer in Silence-but they
nurse an abiding hatred in their
hearts against the dog who has an
noyed them. This annoyance, in
reality, is the direct fault of the
dogs owner, and 1t is he who
should bear the brunt Of the neigh
borhood dislike, rather than the
unfortunate pooch.
Every dog g-owner should set him
self the stern task of making his
dog popular. He owes it to the dog,
to himself, and to his fellow man.
Training and discipline are essential
and a little common sense on the
part of the dogs master will go
a long way. A few rules to follow
might include:
Don't take your dog calling on
people. If they have a dog of their
own, there1l be complications; if
they haven't, they probably don't
like dogs anyhow. And no matter
how well housebroken a dog is in
his own home, he is apt to make
mistakes in strange surroundings.
Don't take your dog to shops or
beauty salons. 1t isn't good for the
dog, and it is definitely annoying to
customers, sales people and oper-
atorS.
Don't let your dog stay out for
hours in the yard, barking and
whining to come in. It's maddening
for the neighbors, and awfully
dreary for the dog.
Keep your dog off other peoples
lawns and out of their gardens. Box
bushes and grass seed cost money.
Don't insist on taking the dog
riding in the car when you have
friends with you. They don't like
hair all over their best clothes, and
canine car-Sickness doesn't make for
happy outing.
Train your dog to stay off the
furniture. Even if you don't mind
f1eas, dog hair and mud on the sofa,
the guest who has to sit there after
the dog has been routed off may not
care for any of them.
Don't let your dog get the habit
OF shifting at callers. 1t makes the
callers jittery, and doesn't get the
dog anywhere. He doesn't have to
make sniff file" of all your
friends. That they are your friends
should be enough for him, anyhow.
He should learn to distinguish be-
tween a pal and a burglar by in
stinct and a bit of early training.
And II you ever catch him growl-
ing at strange children, let the pun
ishment be swift and memorable.
He ought to know better, but if he
doesn't, let him acquire the knowl-
edge without delay.
Raising a dog is a business-not
Just pleasure. It's up to the owner
to make him the neighborhood pet
instead of the community pest!