Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1887 — The Visiting Dog. [ARTICLE]

The Visiting Dog.

The. most interesting and least ap; preciated of dogs is the dog that visits. He is usually a liver-colored animal, txvo-han'ds high ami about twenty-six inches long, with a pink spot on his nose. His ears droop and his tail almost drags on the ground, and his whole make-up is admirably suited to the requirements of his occupation. He appears to have been gotten up expressly for purposes of visiting. He is not like other dogs. He is. a sort of special dog, as it were, being of an odd pattern throughout, and if any part of him should' break it would be impossible to replace it. This dog has no calling list. He never makes calls. He has neither the time nor inclination to practice cold formalities. As an illustration of the manner in xvhich he goes visiting wo may refer to the experience of which a California avenue man had with him last week. The dog xvent and sat down on the man’s front stoop, altout the middle of tjie afternoon. He did not know anybody in that family, but he wanted to get acquainted. The

lady of the house opened the door nnd told him to go away, but he only wagged his tail, as much as to say: “We will get on nicely together when we come to an understanding.” The man of the house came home at 6 o’clock and kicked the dog into the middle of the street. After supper he went out and tried to repeat the operation, but only succeeded in kicking thin air until his leg was lame. The visiting canine was just out of range every time. The gentleman then xx»ent into the house and kicked a rocking chair and discharged the servant on suspicion of haring fed the dorp, after xvhich, with the assistance of the txvo other members of the household, he caught the visitor on the stoop and threw him over the fence. The dog then ran around the house and sat on the back door-steps, apd wagged his tail in the most pleasing and good-natured manner. He had come visiting. The man then offered to give the dog to a small boy who was passing the house, but the boy placed his thumb on the side of his pose and said: “I don’t want to rob you.” The man then told his xvife that he was going to get the dog to follow him to a remote part of the city alid then lose him. The animal followed, and xvhen the gentleman had xvalked about two miles he contrived to cut loose from the liver-colored visitor and took a street car for home. When he opened the front gate the visiting dog came doxvn from off' the stoop and wagged'his tail and looked happy and contented. He visited there continuously for several days, and then gathered himself up and went away to make some other family miserable. It is impossible to understand hoxv the visiting dog lives. His meals must be exceedingly irregular. If he gets a mouthful once in txvo weeks he is in luck. To be sure he can eat snow.-but at the best- this is only a cold bite, and not by any means a square meal. By referring to any reliable table showing the nourishing properties of different kinds of food, it-will be seen that snow is at the bottom of the list How does the visiting dog subsist? The problem is an intricate and difficult one, and is"' worthy of the attention of all students of natural history.— Rochester Herald.