Evening star., 1944-04-22
This and That
By Charles E. TraceUeH.
"CHEvY CHASE Md

CHEVY CHASE, Md.
Dear Sir:
II read your article in tonights Star
and felt it to be masterpiece of dis
tortion. Buddy was not Chesapeake
Bay dog. A friend of ours down the
street once analyzed him as German
shepherd collie and pointer, but he
certainly didn't look like Chesapeake
Bay dog.
Buddy was a mutt. My brother
picked him up off the street, and he
was fine acquisition. He was already
householder: he didn't bark and he
didn't bite He rapidly established him
self in the hearts of the neighbors.
He was a very independent dog. He
went his own way and did as he liked.
Indeed, his temperament was somewhat
akin to cat. OF course, he responded
to friendship with all the warmth a
dogs soul could muster, but he would
do little actually to help a friend.
whenever I was in fight with
him around he would do nothing for
me. In his latter days he developed
the habit of escorting elderly ladies to
Chevy Chase Circle. With children he
was perfect. I may be prejudiced, but
think he was an extraordinary dog
There were three loves in my dogs
life, my brother and T and the milk
man. When the quarantine came I did
everything in my power to get him out
OF the neighborhood, but to no avail
He wouldn't have been happy anywhere
else; he wouldn't be happy cooped up
in our yard; he certainly wouldn't be
happy suffering the agonieS of rabies
Twice he was caught and twice he was
liberated. We established all kinds of
rigorous schedules to keep him off the
street during the day, but it was hope
less
HE was old and unhappy, and we
decided the humane thing to do was
to have him put to sleep I have tried
to write an accurate character sketch
of Buddy and have tried to explain why
we handled him the way we did.
Yours truly, H. L."
Surely this is fine tribute by boy
to his dog.
The mutt the dog of uncertain par
esteem of dog lovers.
Often he has traits which set him
aside. These at times are strange
against another can explain
II may be prejudiced, but I think he
was an extraordinary dog"
We may call that the perfect express
sion of the way one feels about his own
dog.
1t is feeling to cherish. Because
of it, dogs today occupy a peculiar
place in society
S0nptirnnS q
fails to win this affection He is a sort
of automaton, doing all the things his
ancestors have done, and never doing
anything they have not done
With the mutt dog it is different He
steps out of his race, at times, and be-
comes-we had almost said human-a
dog with a mind of his own.
He refuses to sail in and chaw the
pants off of his masters antagonist.
There he stands, the mutt, laughing
out of the side of his big mouth, while
all the time he at least might take a.
little nip at the feller.
He won't nip. He just stands there.
Sometimes he refuses to bark when
persons come into the neighborhood
with felonious intent.
He may even Wag his tail at them, or
let them pet his head A fine watch
dog he is! But all the time one loves
him just the same.
In the strict dog sense, all human
beings are NUTS" the results of in
Vulnerable crossings through the CEN
turies. Maybe that is why we fight so
much-at least once every IS years
and have such time getting along in
world which could get along without
us very well.
Let us be thankful for the NUTS.
They help keep the balance true, and
make us feel just little more at home
in a world which, without them, would
be frightful place. indeed
1t is easy patting the neck of some
old pooch, to feel that God is in His
Heaven, despite Hitler, and that all will
| be rightswith the world in the end. =