Sentence:  I learned , for example , that he made a practice of yapping at <WSD>dogs</WSD> he encountered and , in winter , of sprinkling salt on the icy pavement to scarify their feet . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds