The Adventures of a Dog, and a Good Dog Too

The Adventures of a Dog, and a
Good Dog Too, by

Alfred Elwes This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost
and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it
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Title: The Adventures of a Dog, and a Good Dog Too
Author: Alfred Elwes
Release Date: March 4, 2007 [EBook #20741]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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ADVENTURES OF A DOG ***

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THE
ADVENTURES OF A DOG,

AND A GOOD DOG TOO
BY ALFRED ELWES
[Illustration: Cover]
[Illustration: A FAMILY PARTY]

THE
ADVENTURES OF A DOG,
AND A GOOD DOG TOO.
BY ALFRED ELWES,
AUTHOR OF "THE ADVENTURES OF A BEAR," "OCEAN AND
HER RULERS," ETC., ETC.
WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRISON WEIR.
LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND CO., FARRINGDON
STREET, AND 18, BEEKMAN STREET, NEW YORK.
1857.
LONDON: THOMAS HARRILD, PRINTER, 11, SALISBURY
SQUARE, FLEET STREET.

CONTENTS.
PAGE INTRODUCTION BY MISS MINETTE GATTINA 7 EARLY
DAYS 12 CHANGES 18 UPS AND DOWNS 25 THE INUNDATION
37 PAINS AND PLEASURES 46 DUTY 55

ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE A FAMILY PARTY (FRONTISPIECE) 8 LADY BULL 17
GOOD DOG! 22 A CANINE BUTCHER 36 AFLOAT 45 A
WORTHY SUBJECT 54 A SEVERE BLOW 60 CONSOLATION 62

PREFACE.
I love dogs. Who does not? It is a natural feeling to love those who love
us; and dogs were always fond of me. Thousands can say the same; and
I shall therefore find plenty of sympathy while unfolding my dog's tale.
This attachment of mine to the canine family in general, and their
affection towards myself, have induced me, like the Vizier in the
"Arabian Nights," of happy memory, to devote some time to the study
of their language. Its idiom is not so difficult as many would suppose.
There is a simplicity about it that often shames the dialects of man;
which have been so altered and refined that we discover people often
saying one thing when they mean exactly the reverse. Nothing of the
sort is visible in the great canine tongue. Whether the tone in which it is
uttered be gruff or polished, sharp or insinuating, it is at least sincere.
Mankind would often be puzzled how to use it.
Like many others, its meaning is assisted by gestures of the body, and,
above all, by the expression of the eye. If ever language had its seat in
that organ, as phrenologists pretend, it lies in the eye of the dog. Yet, a
good portion finds its way to his tail. The motion of that eloquent
member is full of meaning. There is the slow wag of anger; the gentle
wag of contentment; the brisker wag of joy: and what can be more
mutely expressive than the limp states of sorrow, humility, and fear?
If the tongue of the dog present such distinctive traits, the qualities of
the animal himself are not less striking. Although the dispositions of
dogs are as various as their forms--although education, connections, the
society they keep, have all their influence--to the credit of their name
be it said, a dog never sullies his mouth with an untruth. His emotions

of pleasure are genuine, never forced. His grief is not the semblance of
woe, but comes from the heart. His devotion is unmixed with other
feelings. It is single, unselfish, profound. Prosperity affects it not;
adversity cannot make it swerve. Ingratitude, that saddest of human
vices, is unknown to the dog. He does not forget past favours, but,
when attached by benefits received, his love endures through life. But I
shall have never done with reciting the praises of this noble animal; the
subject is inexhaustible. My purpose now has narrower limits.
From the archives of the city of Caneville, I lately drew the materials of
a Bear's Biography. From the same source I now derive my
"Adventures of a Dog." My task has been less that of a composer than a
translator, for a feline editoress, a Miss Minette Gattina, had already
performed her part. This latter animal appears, however, to have been
so learned a cat--one may say so deep a puss--that she had furnished
more notes than there was original matter. Another peculiarity which
distinguished her labours was the obscurity of her style; I call it a
peculiarity, and not a defect, because I am not quite certain whether the
difficulty of getting at her meaning lay in her mode of expressing
herself or my deficiency in the