Chapter 28
section twenty eight of birds and all nature volume seven number five may nineteen hundred recorded for librivox dot org by betty b something about dogs blenheim or marlborough spaniels which greatly resemble the latter in form and general appearance get their english name from blenheim palace in oxfordshire where the breed has been preserved since the beginning of the eighteenth century mastiff is the term applied to a very large and powerful species of the canine family and there is considerable conflict of opinion regarding the origin of the word some claim that it is derived from the italian mastino or the french masten both of which signify large-limbed this word they say was gradually corrupted into mastiff a lincolnshire expression meaning very large muscular or big until it gradually assumed its present form others again say its true origin is the old german masten to fatten because the mastiff is a large dog and seems better fed than any other
these animals were very highly prized by the early romans who matched them to fight in the arena with wild animals it is related that very often two or three mastiffs defeated a lion in such combats poodle is derived from the german pudel a puddle or pool this dog was originally german and the name was probably given it because of being very closely allied to what is known as the water dog they are without doubt the most intelligent of all canines the shepherd dog called collie in scotland from the gaelic quillan or puppy gains its title from the fact of its being used to watch sheep and protect them from marauders of every description as to the derivation of the word bulldog it is only necessary to state that this species was exclusively used in bull-baiting and from that circumstance arose the name by which it is universally known a cross between this and the terrier is appropriately termed the bull terrier the alaskan dog is almost human in intelligence he weighs about a hundred pounds heavily laden he will travel sixty miles a day says the st paul
with twenty dogs and a team no two of them are in a straight line from the driver when unhitched for the night they pile upon the first blanket that is thrown upon the snow and there they stay when you crawl into your sleeping bag and pull a robe over it the dog will get under the robe unless you are careful he will be inside of the bag in the morning the animal's endurance is phenomenal and they are capable of strong affection they are great fighters a traveler who recently returned from alaska says of the treatment accorded these faithful animals the whip that is used on them is the cruelest thing of its kind that is known to man thirty feet in length and two inches thick near the short handle it has a lash ten feet long that cuts like a knife the russian knot isn't to be compared to it when a dog is struck you hear a sharp yelp and then your sleigh whirls past a bit of fur or possibly a piece of bloody skin lying on the snow recently a little girl named lillian could not be found it was early in the afternoon when she was missed there was great excitement for it was feared the little girl had been stolen or fallen into the river not far away searchers were sent in every direction but there was no trace of the little girl even when night came
among the most earnest searchers was lillian's pet dog rover he ran about with his nose to the ground hunting everywhere when night came lanterns were lighted and the people still looked for and hoped they would find lillian rover had come back to the house and in some way he went down an unused stairway at its foot was a window that opened into a small room that had not been used in a long time rover gave three sharp barks and the little girl's grandfather hurried to the part of the house where the dog was when rover saw him he barked more sharply and sprang at the window in front of which was a chair the chair was moved and there sat the little girl just waked up she had gone into this room to play house and had fallen asleep rover is the hero now in that family end of section twenty eight this recording is in the public domain
