The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-12-14
Your Health
 By WILLIAM BRADY, M. D.
IN FOND MEMORY OF TONY
 THE WTRTSH TERROR


 Now, please remember, parents, grandmothers, aunts ct cetera, this is going to hurt me as much as 1t will hurt you. But the question IS submitted by one of our most inl- portant readers-and I mean im- portant--so I feel bound to give an uneQuivocal answer. Here is the problem:
 Dear pr. Brady:
 I am a girl twelve years old. My dog is a small fox terrier. She is clean and house-broken. She has no skin disease, no worms and no fleas, as I wash her once a week and the only times she goes out she is right around the house or with me.
 The purpose of my letter is l want my dog to sleep every night at the foot of my bed on blan- ket of her own. My Mother and Father said that if you say it is sanitary she may sleep there. Soi please, Dr. Brady, decide whether it is sanitary or not.
 Sincerely yours,
 (SignedO
 Every dog has his worms, Mar ian-or at any rate you can never be sure the very finest, cleanest and hest-behaved dog does not har- bor stomach or intestinal parasites (worms) even though the dog is as healthy in every way as a dog can be. Presence of ordinary round worms in the intestine of dog ol human being may cause no sym . toms or disturbance of health.
 But if a dog harbors worms the dogs salvia is likely to contain the mieroscopically small eggs of the worms. So the most casual lick oi your hand or cheek by the dog; tongue may transfer worm eggs, and these find their way into you mouth and stomach and presently you have worms.
 For this reason it should be i'm. perative, as matter of hygiene that anybody, infant, child ol adult, who pats, handles, pets, ol even touches a :. dog, any dog, al any time, immediately thereafter wash his or her hands with soaT and water--before a finger or hane touches lips, tongue. mouth, food etc.
 With this precaution agains parasitic infeStation clearly under stood and conseientiously needed my answer to your question, Marian is yes, certainly. that is the plac' for your dog, right there at the foo of your bed.
 This, Marian, is my opinion mere ly, and your Mother and Fathel must remember I am DO authorit! about anything except maybe pipe and bowling on the green. But have a handsome portrait hanging right over my desk-a portrait 0 Tony the Wlrish Terror-who liveG at our house for about ten years ten years of just one fight after an other with everything on four fee and bitter feuds with most of ou neighbors, yet ten happy years notwithstanding that last reproach ful wag of Tony's tail when I lief him to the veterinary for euthan asia.
 Every boy should have a dog, am every girl should have either do or e cat or other animal or bl' as pet. dependent. companion guardian. Caring for such living things, il the intelligent. scientific way-b they dogs. cats, chickens, pig sheep, cattle, pigeons. ants, beei snakes or turtleS-improves tn education and deyelopes the char acter of boy or girl.
 Marian as call her here, twelve years old. Most children tel years old, and some only eight o nine, are capable of caring for sucl pets. But 1t Is a grave mistake, think. for parents or other guard ians to give any living thing to child only three or four years oil as a top or plaything--a cruel mts take that encourages cruelty in tn child.
 Copyright ls46. John ?. Dille CO.