The domestic Dog (Canis familiaris, Linn.) is
probably the most valuable of all the bestial ser-
vants of man. The strength of the Elephant, the
endurance of the Camel, the swiftness and doci-
lity of the Horse, the fleecy covering of the Sheep,
and the patient labour of the Ox, are all exceedingly useful gifts bestowed by our gracious
Creator; but all of these are circumscribed in
their sphere of service, and by none are their
whole faculties and powers rendered up with that
fulness and freedom, that ungrudging love, with
which the Dog delights to serve. The Horse does
not draw the chariot, nor the Ox drag the plough,
of his own choice; but the Dog finds his highest
eratification in fulfilling and even anticipating the
desires of his master. "The whole species,"
observes Cuvier, "has become the property of
man; each individual is devoted to its particular
master, assumes his manners, knows and defends
his property, and remains attached to him until
death; and all this, neither from constraint nor
want, but solely from gratitude and pure friendship. The swiftness, strength, and scent of the
Dog, have rendered him a powerful ally to man
against other animals; and were even, perhaps,
necessary to the establishment of society. It is
the only animal which has followed man all over the world."
Another zoologist[1] speaks of the Dog as "an animal given to man to be his assistant and friend. To his service is the Dog devoted; by him are its very instincts modified; to him it looks up for encouragement, and his good word or kind caress throws it into a rapture of delight. The Dog
- ↑ W.C.L. Martin, "Hist. of the Dog," p. 221.
