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Show Canine Code of Etiquette i Certain Lines of Conduct Which It Is Asserted No Dog Dares Overstep. Every animal lover can tell numerous numer-ous stories illustrating the devotion of animals to their human protectors. Anecdotes of one animal risking is life to save another are rare, but still sufficiently numerous and authentic to leave no doubt as to the occasional ex-' ex-' istence of a deep love between animals. ani-mals. But any close observer of nature na-ture will know that there exists throughout the brute creation a sort of rough moral system which, in the case of domestic animals, translates itself into what really amounts to a code of etiquette. The old proverb, "The dog with a bone has many friends," is nothing else than a recognition of canine etiquette. eti-quette. It does not matter how small is the dog with the bone. It may be a Pomeranian surrounded by mastiffs. The mastiffs will still remain friendly. They will hover round the Pomeranian, Pomeran-ian, perhaps whining for a morsel (which is never offered), and eagerly picking up any splinter that may be dropped, when nothing would be easier eas-ier than to bowl the little dog over and seize the bone. You will notice, further, that the little lit-tle dog becomes filled with a new courage, presumably in the moral consciousness con-sciousness of the justice of his claim, and will growl, and even snap at a dog he otherwise fears if the latter should come too close. But the moment a dog drops his bone a new rule of etiquette operates, for it becomes the property of the first dog who cares to pick it up. True, a dispute will sometimes arise as to whether the bone has actually been dropped "within the meaning of the act." But once this is clear the law of the bone will be observed by all save the exceptional "hooligan" dog. met with occasionally, who outrages all the laws of dogdom, even to the biting of his master. Although a dog is quite entitled to rush suddenly sudden-ly upon a foe and take him unawares, he may not do so if the other Is eating eat-ing or drinking. |
