Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 September 1871 — “Do Dogs Reason?” [ARTICLE]

“Do Dogs Reason?”

On Perry street, in this city, there lives a gentleman who is the owner of a valuable. dog, of tho breed known as the “ coach ” species. This dog has been in the habit, during the past two years, of making dnily visits—in the morning, at noon and in the- evening—to a neighbor’s yard, for the purpose of assisting the wellfed'cat, belonging to said neighbor, to take care of her beefsteak. His visits during this time have been made with great punctuality. About ten days since, “Ned,” for such is the dog's uatne, was left by his master to guard the place—the master aud his family leaving the city for a visit East. From the day of his master's departure, “Ned’s” visits to his feline friend ceased, and he lias not been seen out of his mast.r's inclosuro, but remains there in faithfhl watch over the property left to his care. Once, at kitty’s usual meal time ho was seen to mount tho feuco, which is the dividing line between his master’s property and that of kitty’s owner, aud there, fora few moments, he looked wislftilly down upon the inviting beefsteak spread before Mfs. Tabby, but hot long did he look upon the tempting scene. Something akin, at leapt, to reason, seemed to tell him that to leave the .property in his care, even for a short-fTtnc, would be a violation of the feith' his' master had reposed in Him; and back he jumped to his own side of the fence. Is net this dog acttiatcd by something higher than reason ? Whether ‘ho‘ is or botj there is a faithfulness to the trust imposed in him, . and Iris duties are performed with a conscientiousness that is a grand lesson to many who are credited with reasoning powers.— Davenport (loica) Qatetle. *l *v ’ " 1 Opt On the line of the Paclfc Railroad, in the vicinity of Denver Bridge, a short time since* a y°U n f squaw belonging, to a joving baud of Indians was taketWffand died. She was the mother of-tl.naprtose about four m nths old, and, according to a eu«tom among the tribe, it was decreed that this child should shard tho fate of its mother, and To buried in the tame grave with her. Ti>e live child was placed on the body of It* dead parent, and the“clods of the vsiley” were piled above them both. ■ Persons cognizant ot what was to be done with the child, offered twenty dollars for the little one, but were refused; and in an after effort to save it were too late.