Kindness to Animals | Page 8

would put him in fear of his life; and would have bitten
him too, if she could have seized him. We gave her away to a friend
who would be kind to her, and keep her out of mischief; and we
brought up a puppy for ourselves, this same Bronti. Now he is more
than three years old; and though he will sometimes fight a big dog who
affronts him in the street, he never frightened anybody who came to the

house. He watches, and gives one single, deep, quiet bark, to let us
know that there is a stranger; and seeing that we are satisfied, he sits
with one ear thrown back, listening and watching. If he meets a
workman in the house, he does not even growl; only keeps him in sight,
following him about, but with such a sweet-tempered look, that the
greatest coward, if honest, could not contrive to be afraid of him. I
might leave a joint of meat under his care, if he were ever so hungry; he
would not touch it, because he is truly honest: and as to his sense, you
would hardly believe if I told you how sensible he is. When I am
putting on my boots, he comes up to me, and looks very eagerly in my
face; if I say "Yes," or, "Bronti shall go," he is just wild with joy,
tearing about, barking, and making no small riot. If I say "No," or shake
my head sorrowfully and say nothing, he steals away, lies down, and
never attempts to follow me: but he gets on a chair, and Fiddy on a
table, to see me go out at the gate; and then they both begin to cry and
moan most piteously, so that nobody can comfort them.
On Sunday morning, Bronti looks very melancholy; how he knows the
day I cannot tell. Of course, we all go to church, but he begins to be sad
as soon as we get up. Neither he, nor Fiddy would attempt to follow us
then, if the doors and gate were all set open: they seat themselves at the
window to see us go. And now I recollect one time when Bronti was as
savage as his mother. You shall hear about it.
One Sunday, when were all at church, a friend, just landed from a
voyage, came to the house. He opened the garden gate, and was
walking towards the door, when up jumped Bronti on a chair at
window, barking, growling, and behaving so violently, that he really
dared not try to get into a house where such a wild beast stood ready to
seize him. So he went off to the church, found us, and after service
returned with us; and Bronti, seeing him as a friend of the family, gave
him an affectionate welcome. Then he told us of his ferocious
behaviour; and we were very glad to find that our gentle dog knew how
to protect our house and property when it was left entirely to his care.
A book larger than this might be filled, all through, with stories about
the dog, besides what are already published; but any one of you may

see enough to delight you every day in the affectionate creature, it you
will only be patient and kind. It is too often the custom to punish a dog
when he does not do just what you like; and you may like things quite
different at different times. Now, the poor brute cannot tell exactly
what you wish; and if he is used to get a blow, or an angry scolding, he
will be so afraid of doing wrong, that what little sense he has left will
fail him, and he will be so confused as to make him do wrong. An
animal, or a boy either, living in constant fear of ill-usage whether he
deserves it or not, will get either so stupid or so careless, as seldom to
do what is required. Think a little, and you will understand this. An
angry tone and hard words agitate a dog very much. Mr. Blaine, who
wrote a book about their diseases and cures, says that he has often
known a dog, weakened by illness, to go into convulsions on hearing
another dog violently scolded. I tell you this to explain why some dogs
are hard to manage: they are frightened out of their senses; to say
nothing of the cruel pain that they are often made to suffer. I have seen
a person beat a dog one day for not following him when he wished it,
and the next day for following when he was not wanted. I have seen a
dog set at another to fight, being encouraged, and irritated, and made