DOG-STORIES.
[TO THR EDITOR OF TER "SFICT1TOR.'9
Sin—It may be thought that the following (the truth of which I can vouch for) is worthy of being included among the Spectator's "dog-stories" :—Our annual sheep and cattle show has lately been held here. It is the biggest gathering of the kind in New Zealand, and this year a record was established,. there being over twenty thousand visitors. In this crowd a friend of mine missed his dog, a Scotch collie named Mike,' with whose help some prize sheep from the " Meadow- bank " Estate had been brought to the show-grounds and penned there. Not being able to find the dog my friend concluded that he had gone to the house where he had been the night before, but upon inquiry found that 'Mike' had not done so. Upon returning to the show-grounds he found the dog watching one of the Meadowbank sheep that had jumped out of the pen ; he took no notice what- ever of other sheep which were being moved about the grounds, but stuck faithfully to the one truant, which he evidently considered under his care, until relieved of his self- imposed charge by the welcome arrival of his master, who, with 'Mike's' help, soon had the wanderer back in the fold again. I afterwards heard that some one had tried to help Mike' recapture the sheep, but the dog resented his inter- ference, and drove the sheep away from the pens in order to show that he took no orders from any one but his own master,
—I am, Sir, &c., GUISE BRITTAN. Christ's College, Christchurch, N Z., November 251k.
[To VIZ EDITOR OF THR "SPECTATOR."]
Stn,—In case your columns are still open to dog-stories I venture to contribute the following to your collection. I have ever been a lover of dogs, and during a long life have been the possessor of a good number. Many years ago, when a Captain in a Hussar regiment quartered in Ireland, I bought a red curly-haired Irish water-spaniel. During the idle moments at " Stables " I taught Drake,' for that was his name, a number of tricks, and found that he was very clever. I happened to be on leave of absence when my troop was ordered from Ireland to England, so the Subaltern was in charge, not only of the troop, but also of the dog. The troop landed at Liver- pool early one summer morning, and in the confusion 'Drake' was lost. My Subaltern could not stay to look after him as he had to march twenty miles to Warrington ; but knowing how much I valued the dog, and being very fond of him him- self, he gave directions to have hand-bills printed offering a reward. The troop arrived at Warrington, and was billeted there for the night. At an early hour the next morning it paraded for the second day's march, and was just moving off when 'Drake' appeared. He had never been out of Ireland before, but in twenty-four hours had followed the troop not only through the streets of Liverpool, but twenty miles further, to Warrington. It must be admitted that this was a remark- able instance of canine sagacity.
Many years later I had a handsome black collie named Jock,' who was well known in the railway world. He wore, attached to his collar, four free passes from four of the leading railways in London. Now Jock,' although he always passed as a superior sort of dog, looked smart and well turned out, had a supreme dislike to being washed, an operation which, when he was in London, was usually performed on Saturday,—the day when that well- known person, the charwoman, came to the house. The advent of that lady was so closely associated by 'Jock' with the washing-tub, that when, from the area step, he saw her coming along the street, he immediately bolted off in the other direction. Where and how he spent his day was never known, but he invariably returned home at an hour when he felt sure that the charwoman had gone to hers. ' Jock ' was once inveigled by a dog-stealer. The grief in the house was intense. A friend calling one day observed a sad expression on the face of the butler who opened the hall door, and said, "Is anything wrong ? " " Oh ! Sir, 'Jock's' stolen, and it's just as if there was a corpse in the house." At the end of ten days a liberal reward brought him home, and I shall never forget the poor dog's delight. He ran all over the house barking and visiting every one in it. ' Jock ' died about twelve years ago, and since then I have been dogless.—I am,
Sir, &c., C. OF C.
Previous page
