Volume 20 | January, 1922 Number 10
Our Fourfooted Friends
and How We Treat Them
EDITED BY MRS. HUNTINGTON SMITH
Published Monthly
Publication Office, Rumford Building, Concord, New Hampshire Editorial Office, 51 Carver Street, Boston, Massachusetts
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE 5 Cents a Copy. By the Year 60 Cents To Foreign Countries 75 Cents
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Concord, New Hampshire, under the Act of March 3, 1879
CONTENTS @eeeerana Shadows of Humane Work........ 2 Bungalow Notes....:.....:...0.3..0...... 7 Seemeeroicdeand Young............+.... 5°. League News and Notes. 2. 000..000...... M4
MR. STANLEY, AGENT OF THE ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE, FEEDING THE PIGEONS, See page 13.
D) OUR FOURFOOTED FRIENDS
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS
OF HUMANE WORK
“For we know not every morrow
Can be sad;
So, forgetting all the sorrow . We have had,
Let us fold away our fears,
And put by our childish tears,
And through all the coming years, Just be glad.”
A SHED WHERE HORSES ARE KEPT
The Horses’ Christmas
The Horses’ Christmas provided by The Ani- mal Rescue League this year was the greatest possible success. Over 3,000 horses were fed. Newton, Brighton, Watertown, Cambridge, Somerville, East Cambridge, Charlestown, Mal- den, Medford, Chelsea and Everett, were visited on Saturday. The market districts of the city proper were taken Christmas Eve. About fifty horses belonging to pedlars that were standing about the markets from 8.30 to 10.30 P. M. were fed. “
From the moment our automobiles drove in sight at the markets the men standing with their teams were on hand to get refreshments for their horses and for themselves, and it was a question which needed it the most. The men were wet and chilled through. They could not leave their teams to go for any supper. While afew persons have objected to our giving any share of this Christmas help to drivers, we are sure that these persons would have changed their minds if they
~
could have seen the effect which it had, as the
drivers as well as their horses, received this com- fort and refreshment on the stormy and cold Christmas Eve. On Sunday (Christmas Day) our agents took in Brookline, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, West Roxbury, Dorchester, Ashmont, Neponset and-South Boston, beginning their trips at 8.30 A.M. and not finishing until 3.30 PAN
In these poor stables it was very pleasing and touching to note that men who had become ac- customed to our Christmas for Horses were waiting in the stables to receive their share of the Christmas feast. = .
The work of the League in feeding the horses began at 9 o’clock Saturday morning and was con- tinued until 3.30 Sunday afternoon. In Newton alone, seventeen stables were visited; these sta-
bles, containing principally horses belonging to
pedlars, were brought to our attention by the Chamber of Commerce in Newton, showing that men of standing in these towns and cities about Boston appreciate the value of the work we are doing. )
As I have before said, this work means some- ;
thing more than just one feed for each horse. By entering these stables in this way our men dis- cover horses unfit for work, and during this Christmas season about twenty-five horses of
this sort were discovered in different stables and —
purchased by the League agents. Some of these were put to death at once, but others were put in the Work Horse Relief Hospital. At present
writing eight horses are enjoying the hospitality
> &* nae eS to a a)
OUR FOURFOOTED FRIENDS 3
COW TO BE SOLD LOADED ON TRAIN
of this stable, and two others are at our Home of Rest for Horses in Dedham. We visited the
Work Horse Relief stable this morning to see our
pensioners there, as they will not remain a great while. When I saw their swollen legs, and their general appearance of having been used to the
_ very limit, it was a comfort to know that their
working days were ended.
I must say in this connection that the immacu- late cleanliness of the stable, thé comfort of it, the splendidly arranged stalls, the sympathetic and efficient manager of the stable, Mr. McCar- thy, and his assistant, Peter Simpson, left nothing to be desired in the way of a model stable for horses.
On this visit our own special agents, Dr. Frank Sullivan and Mr. Archibald Macdonald, were there to point out the horses they had taken during the Christmas time and to tell us their stories. I would like to have had the pictures of these horses taken and giventheir stories in detail, but this is impossible in the limited space I can give to this article. I should perhaps mention that in the course of this Christmas work two starving cows were discovered by Dr. Sullivan, who had them immediately rescued from their unhappy condition and put to a merciful end.
We have tried to send a word of thanks to all who contributed to make this Christmas cheer for horses a success, but we may have omitted someone, and again we will express our gratitude to one and all who gave us help and wish to them a happier New Year for the fact that they have not forgotten their fourfooted, friends.—A. H. 8.
service.
A Christmas Party
The President and Directors of the Animal Rescue League gave a Christmas supper to the employees Tuesday, December 27, at 6 o’clock. All the force was present excepting those in charge of the Branches, fifteen men and nine women.
Some of the employees are veterans in the Dr. Frank Sullivan has been with the League twenty-one years, or almost’ from its beginning. Mr. Bubear, the night watchman, has been on duty every night, excepting for one short illness and his two weeks summer vacations, for nineteen yéars. Theodore Sanders, who is now head kennel master, is beginning his twen- tieth year in our work. Mrs. Kelley, resident superintendent, has lived with the work day and night at 51 Carver Street for fifteen years and seems as young and active as ever. Miss Mar- garet Starbuck, desk assistant and visitor of the various Receiving Stations, comes next, and has ten years of faithful service to her credit.
Miss Charlene Wilson, head bookkeeper for eight years, has been appointed in her ninth year assistant manager, and Miss Eleanor Heuston is acting bookkeeper.
Miss Maude Phillips has been for eight years secretary to the President of the League and is now assistant manager of the Annual Fair and head of the Animal Rescue League Sewing Circle. Miss Phillips cut out one hundred and fifty aprons of different designs for our recent Fair, and members of the Sewing Circle made them.
Miss Kyle has been with us five years. She is secretary to Mr. Huntington Smith, manager, and also has charge of the membership list and the subscriptions to OUR FoURFOOTED FRIENDS.
Miss Barr, our capable manager of the switch board, has held that tiresome position for four years and has shown great patience and efficiency.
Mrs. Bates and Mrs. MacCulloch have been special agents and assistants in the work for seven and eight years.
Maurice Shea is completing his ninth year in our service. He was with us before the war. He entered the war as a private, and was appointed StableSargeantin Battery B, 101st Field Artillery, 26th Division, where he served through the war, | escaped without wounds, though his horses were
4 OUR) FO \ULRsE-0 O.T-E DP Rae Nes
shot beside him. He returned to us after the war and occupies a responsible position as super- visor of the motor cars and special chauffeur.
Lynn Hosea, who has worked for us seven years, left us to go to the war, was gassed, came back almost a wreck, but is doing steady work on our emergency car.
The other employees have not as long a record, but all are doing good work, and we hope to keep them with us from year to year.
The motto of the League is ‘‘ Kindness Uplifts the World.’ In the short address given on Tuesday evening to the men and women, the greatest stress was laid on the duty of kindness.
It is unfortunately necessary to put to death a great many animals in order to save them from weeks, months, and even years of great suffering, but while they are with us it is our duty above all things to treat them with kindness, and when they must die to see that they are put to death with the utmost humanity. The president and manager believe that the whole staff of employees feel the necessity of kindness in the work and are trying to carry it out in every way they can. The spirit of harmony amongst the employees is very pleasing, and we hope that the work of the Animal Rescue League is being carried on a nearly as possible in accordance with the Golden Rule.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith were delighted after the address to receive a gift from the employees of a handsome basket containing a beautiful begonia, which will be a pleasure for many days to come, and a reminder of the enjoyable occasion.— ASEDSS:
The following beautiful prayer was found in the note book of Monica Turnbull some years ago and quoted by Canon Rawnsley in a sermon. I am sure the readers of OUR FouRFOOTED FRIENDS will all echo it:
“QO Gracious Lord, I pray Thee to send Thy Holy Spirit and pour into the hearts of all men mercy and kindness to all Thy dumb creatures, both wild and tame, and help me, Lord, to treat them ever as Thine, so that all creatures may live out their lives in safety and happiness. And O God, if it be Thy will, make them happy after death.”
PINE RIDGE PIGEONS AND A FRIENDLY CAT
About Pigeons
How many of the people who cross the Com- mon and see the flocks of pigeons running along the paths and over the grass, cooing softly, and looking always for a friendly hand to scatter crumbs in their way, ever give a thought these — winter nights to where they sleep?
I have spoken to very kind and humane men and women about their need of shelter and they have said they had never thought about it—they ‘supposed that pigeons could take care of them-
selves.”’ :
Perhaps I should not have thought of it so much if it had not been for the fact that every winter pigeons are brought to the Animal Rescue League that have been found on the Common disabled with cold; also our men are called upon to imperil their lives by climbing over icy roofs of houses to free pigeons that have sought a place of shelter for the night and in the morning are seen with their feet and their wings frozen into the snow and ice. Then our men are called to rescue them. After the severe ice storm in No- vember, thirty-eight pigeons were found on the Common just alive, but their wings and their legs frozen stiff. It was then that I decided they needed something more than food; they need some place of shelter from the winter storms.
Dear Mrs. Smith: Iam so glad you told my auntie over the ’phone that I could send a quarter to help some poor horse to have a Christmas din- ner. We never heard of anything like that in Chicago where we have just moved from. I do— love all animals and especially horses. I always
OO em OF UR HO Oss HDs ir Re EEN D'S 5
feel so sorry for them, for so many drivers don’t seem to understand how to treat their horses, when the poor horse is doing its best. If I ever have a horse I will never allow it to have a check- rein or blinders or have a docked tail. Did you ever read the story called Black Beauty? I like it so much and believe it is my favorite book and in Chicago I had almost 300 books but could not bring all of them with us, but I did bring Black Beauty, for I have had that since I was six years old and now I am eleven years old. JI could read when I was four years old. I hope all of the poor horses will enjoy their Christmas dinners and when I am eating mine I will think of them. Iam so glad that so many people give to the poor children to make them happy on Christmas Day, but so many never think of the poor horses and dogs. I wish you a very happy Christmas and a Happy New Year and many of them. Good- bye,—Ruth Naomi Corbitt.
STORIES FOR OLD AND YOUNG
A Faithful Little Friend
One likes to read of valiant deeds done by cats —they place the beautiful character of this ex- quisite animal in a new light, for few people as yet know that she is a brave as well as faithful little friend.
A bulldog had seized a little terrier by the throat, and although beaten and hustled by a crowd of people who had quickly run together, refused to loose his hold. The breath was well- nigh shaken out of the small dog’s body; the by- standers could do nothing. Suddenly a cat came flying out of a neighboring house, made her way through the mob, and, throwing herself with des- perate courage at the head of the savage bulldog, began to slap his face and claw him so energeti- cally that he was forced to drop the little terrier—
not a moment too soon, for he was half choked. .
It then appeared that the terrier and cat shared the same home and fed together.
The bulldog, which doubtless had been trained in ferocity by some cruel master, slunk off, and
the little furry heroine, her tail stuck aloft and bristling like a sweep’s brush, returned home in triumph, followed by her rescued favorite.
With great care and kindness the little dog soon recovered. Strange to say, his noble de- liverer had kittens at the time, yet for her poor little friend’s sake she risked everything.
Affection in the cat will outweigh every other natural instinct. A cat will perish of starvation, brought on by grief for the loss or absence of a beloved one. Madame Helvetius had a cat which would allow no one but herself to feed or caress it. When her darling mistress died, the poor animal was removed from the room, but the next morning it had found its way back, and was dis- covered on the bed, crying piteously.
After the funeral it was missed, and at last was found lying on her grave—dead of grief.
How truly awful to think that such a creature
as this should be as a rule misunderstood, shame-
fully neglected, starved, turned out to perish of cold, and abused in ways too shocking for description!
No creature appeals to us more strongly for kind treatment than the cat. Alas! no creature so often pleads for love and pity in vain.
Let us all do our best to make the sweet, fine, true nature of this lovely and lovable being better known and understood, then she cannot fail to win her way.
Oh! Christian men and women, when you speak of realms above,
And the great Creator-Saviour, whose highest name is Love,
Can you think that in those star-worlds which the whole broad heavens span
Ten myriad, myriad orbs of light, there is only room for man?
No! the noble brutes who serve us, the birds that round us fly,
Must live on, and live forever, for life can never die.
—From Our Animal Brothers’ Guild, Bristol, England.
Money will buy a dog, but only love will make him wag his tail.—Boston Transcript.
6 OUR FOUR © O2T TDs RR Ise Nie
A PET CALF
The Need of Love
Nobody quite knew how the calf came to be called Miss Brown—except that her mother, who died the day that her little one was born, had big soft dewy brown eyes, that closed after one look of love and one fond lick at the forlorn little thing she must leave behind. Miss Brown lay on the straw and bawled loudly all day for her mother. They fed her and looked after her, and she grew fast, and began to get strong—but some- thing was missing, and Miss Brown felt it. Now, it happened that little Dick Manners, a little laddie who had just lost his mother, was sent to the farm at that time by his friends—because, somehow, he found something missing, too. He was well cared for, well fed, and well clothed; but he cried in his little bed at night, nobody knew why. They thought that it was the want of fresh air that made Dick’s little face pale, and they sent him to run about at the farm, and drink new milk, and play with the farmer’s children.
But that “something”? was still amiss with little Dick, and he fretted. His cheeks never grew a bit brighter, until one day Dick heard a loud cry of tribulation coming from the shed where Miss Brown was kept. He pattered to the place on his little bare feet, and for hours they missed him. There was no more sound of his childish crying, and the loud boo-hoo-ing of Miss Brown suddenly ceased. After a search
they found little Dick and Miss Brown cuddled
up asleep in the straw, Miss Brown, with her .
pretty head resting on the baby’s lap and his tiny hand on her head. .
The two little orphans were comforting each other, and after this they could not be parted,
but wherever Dick went the calf was at his small —
heels. Dick laughed now instead of crying; he erew merry and strong. Miss Brown no longer bellowed incessantly, but only said ‘“moo” tender voice when her little playfellow was out of sight.
How had the little innocent pair of sulferees contrived to understand each other so well? That is no great secret! pathy and love is easy to learn; it is no foreign
tongue, difficult to master and hard to speak.
The early love and fellow-feeling of a little child for its Animal Brothers is something very sacred, coming from God, and, if allowed to have its way, it will blossom into great and noble qualities when a child becomes a man or woman. —The seeds of Mercy must be sown in childhood. Let
children be encouraged to make friends with all
the animals they meet, to pat and pet and feed them: to scatter crumbs for the birds. To save some tiny portion from their own meal as a small treat for some “poor Animal Brother” is a splen- did lesson in unselfishness and merey. It will not be lost in later years.—Our Animal Brothers’ Guild, Bristol, England.
A Friend in Need
One cold night a boy named Joe stood at the street corner shivering and waiting for his father. Both out of work. The lad did not know where they could find a shelter. He had been selling
papers, and had managed to earn a few coppers
with which he had bought himself some bread and cheése—little enough. His father had tramped far to. look for a job. As Joe stood waiting, eagerly munching his last crust, he felt a cold nose thrust into his hand, and looking down saw a poor, half-starved dog, with eyes fixed eagerly on his rapidly shrinking morsel of food.
Joe hesitated for a moment—it was all he had, and he was hungry; but he thought that the poor dog was probably much hungrier, and handed him the last bit.
in a
The language of pity, sym- |
esa Ue te O Orb BoD kB PEND 7
At that moment his father appeared, cold and ‘tired. “‘We must get out into the fields, Joe,” he said miserably; ‘“‘there was too many chaps after that job, and I got no chance. We must - sleep in some barn, or where we can.”
- They trudged along wearily, till Joe at last begged to lie down in a ditch and rest. But his father would not allow this. ‘‘We should both be frozen to death before morning,”’ he said.
Presently they came to a building from which a gleam of light shot forth; it was a lime-kiln. The place seemed deserted. The man erept into the opening which was used when the fire was made up, and Joe crawled after him. | form, a humbler one, crept timidly in behind, un- noticed by either. It was the dog, who had fol- lowed them all the way.
How warm and cosy it seemed inside! ‘They were both too much exhausted to stop and think, or it might have occured to the man that it was dangerous to stay in that spot, lest the fumes of the smouldering lime should suffocate them. They sank down in front of the glowing fire, and _ in less than two minutes were both fast asleep.
The dog, however, was alive to the danger; somehow or other Re felt that his friends ought not to stay where they were. He tried to attract their attention by whining and barking, but the slumber-of the wanderers was too heavy to be easily shaken off. Then the dog rushed outside into the open air and barked furiously for help. There was nobody near, and the snow was steadily falling. Back he went into the close, heated air of the kiln. Every minute the poisonous fumes increased, and the sleepers were being slowly suffocated.
The dog seized Joe’s coat at last, and tugged wildly at him till he contrived to drag the boy close to the opening of the hole, where the fresh air soon revived him. Then he ran off, and by continuous barking and howling contrived to bring the manager of the kiln to the aid of the sleeping man within and the half-fainting boy.
The manager was only just in time to save both. Ina very short time the unconscious man was brought back to life, and, while he and his son rested in a comfortable bed: the faithful dog slept at their feet.
Happier times soon came for Joe and his father.
Another
This true story of distress was brought before kind-hearted people, who found work for both. This meant better times for the forlorn, homeless dog, so noble and loving, for Joe never parted from him, but considered ‘Help,’ as the dog
was named, the greatest of his earthly treasures. —Our Animal Brothers’ Guild, Bristol, England.
THE BUNGALOW IN A WINTER STORM
BUNGALOW NOTES
‘How can we sing the Songs of Zion in astrange
land?” asked the exiled children of Israel. So I, in a city boarding house ask: How can I write notes of the Bungalow, of the birds, the dogs, the horses, the donkeys, the pines and cedars, when I am not there to see them?
I went to the Bungalow a few days ago. As my car paused at the caretaker’s back door Barry put his feet on the step and thrust his enormous head and shoulders into the car, quite obscuring Mrs. Tuttle and Jimmie who came out to speak to me. Max made one effort to crowd in beside Barry but gave it up, and stood in the back- ground, looking wistfully at me through the win- dow of the car. Tommy came around the cor- ner of. the house, glanced scornfully at Barry, flirted his tail in-the air and turned away.
I asked the usual question: ‘“‘Has Tommy caught a bird yet?’ and received the usual reply that he has never yet been seen with a bird, and that the birds came daily to be fed.
8 OU RB UGR EO. OS) EDs Hea lar ING eres
We got Barry out of the way with difficulty, and I went on to the Bungalow. What is more depressing than a cold, deserted house? I only stayed long enough to get what I went after, then I took a turn around the outside, accompanied by Fred, the caretaker, and viewed, almost with tears, the damage wrought by the unprecedented ice storm. One large cedar near the Bungalow which the birds frequented in winter and sum- mer was completely uprooted and lay prone on the ground. Great boughs and branches of the sturdy oaks were split from the trees and the gaping wounds showed the firm white wood laid bare to the cruel frost. The white birches, never
able to stand up against misfortune, were bowed
over until they almost or quite touched the ground.
What evil spirit riding upon the’ winds of heaven that fateful night had such a grudge against the dear trees, the beautiful trees, that he wanted to maim, wound, destroy them as he passed by? All through the woods, and all along the roadside, I saw mutilated trees that never again can recover their beauty. It was very sad.
ia
I saw the trees bowed down with sleet, Each like a ghost in a filmy sheet.
CrIN ° ‘Trees that have stood for centuries long Tree and brave and great and strong,
“Twisted in fair, fantastic form— These are the victims of the storm.
(a4 . . . No more in June, their wide arms spread
Will hold a leafy shade o’erhead;
“No more the birds will twine their nests, Safe in the shelter of mothering breasts.
“T saw the trees bowed down with sleet, Kach was a ghost in a winding sheet.’ —James Quincy in the Boston Herald.
The horses and donkeys at Pine Ridge were out in the paddocks for a few hours’ exercise, and were enjoying their freedom. Unless the weather is very bad they are given a chance to run and roll in the snow every day. Even theblind horses find their way about in the smaller pad- dock, and appreciate a change from their stalls.
We have two blind horses at Pine Ridge this winter. One has had vacations with us before, and feels quite at home; he belongs to a pedlar who is partly crippled and cannot work in winter. The other we bought to free him from an unkind master, and.as he seems really to enjoy life we are giving him a few months to make up to him a little for what has gone before.
I was disturbed a few days ago when a man —
who believes without any doubt in a Heaven for himself and for all human beings who accept the Bible, said to me that he “knew there was no Heaven for horses!’ How doeshe know? Whotold him? What does he make of the horses in Rey- elation? How about the verses in the fifteenth chapter of Corinthians, 36-45? “There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body, and every seed has its own body.” “knows it all’ believes that the lowest savage
who is made in the shape of man has a better - chance of immortality than a loving, obedient, .
intelligent fourfooted animal, he must have a very poor idea of God. For me I would not
want to believe in such a God as that. Many
persons seem to be ignorant of the fact that we are all animals of lower or higher degree. We are all created by the same Power and given many of the same mental characteristics. ‘Love is of God” said the favorite disciple. Where do we
find a more perfect love than in the heart of a —
dog? The horse, the dog, the cat—all our four-
footed companions and helpers—will love us if —
we give them half a chance; but when they are used and treated like machines, how can we ex- pect to understand their higher intelligence our-
If this man who |
‘
= Faith and Love.
OUR FOURFOOTED FRIENDS 9
selves or awaken in them those mental traits that even children and savages need to have de- veloped in them by training and education? So, if we hope for a better life beyond the grave
_ for ourselves, let us cherish the same hope for all intelligent created beings. We do not under- stand what that life will be, but, like Tennyson,—
“We only hope that good will fall
_As last, far off, at last to all,
And every winter change to spring.”
So I rode back to my city home, sad at the thought of the narrowness of a creed that shuts out a higher and better life to any of God’s creatures; sad to see the broken and mutilated trees; but, as I rode on and saw through a heavy bank of clouds a bright gleam of sunset, I was glad to think that the Divine Being from whom comes everything that is good and _ beautiful, will bring light out of darkness even in the minds of men, and in the final reckoning every creature that He has made will have a chance of the “joy that is set before us.”’
“That nothing walks with aimless feet, That not one life shall be destroyed Or cast as rubbish to the void When God has made the pile complete. ’’
The old year has gone. The New Year has begun. Perhaps the old year was disappointing and did not fulfil all our hopes.
“Though today may not fulfil All thy hopes, have patience still, For perchance tomorrow’s sun Sees thy happier days begun. As God willeth march the hours, Bringing joy at last in showers, And whate’er we asked is ours.”’
Let us begin the New Year with Hope and No matter how dark the way may look before us let us hold on to hope and courage. We are all soldiers on a battle field where two diverse powers are struggling for the victory, the “Power that makes for Righteous- ness,”’ and the Power of evil. We are either on one side or the other in this battle between good and evil, and the beginning of the year is a good time to take account of stock and see where we stand. -
They who confine God’s goodness to the so- called higher animal—man—and shut out all the lower creation, need to cultivate a larger out- look. They must get up higher themselves and then their vision will not be so limited.
When anyone tells me that he or she has no
sympathy to spare for horses, dogs, cats, birds—
no time or money to give to alleviate their suffer- ings, I cannot help doubting if their sympathy is very strong or their help very great for human beings.
“That love for one from which there does .not spring Wide love for all, is but a worthless thing.” —Anna Harris Smith.
Let us begin our journey along the pathway of the New Year with universal love. The “road winds uphill all the way,” but of this I am certain, we cannot reach the heights if we con- fine our sympathies to the narrow circle composed of our own likes and dislikes. This is not travel- ing with the Golden Rule.—A. H. S.
The birds and squirrels at the grounds of the White House are to feel secure and safe from harm, now that Mrs. Harding has enlisted in the cause for the protection and care of them. It was made known today that the “first lady”’ from now on intends to take a leading part in protecting the birds and squirrels.
In line with her humane endeavors, several bird houses of the twentieth-century variety arrived today at the White House and will be immediately erected in suitable places about the grounds. Two of these houses are for wrens, while others are for smaller birds. She has given instructions to the policemen and other attend- ants who frequent the grounds to be on the alert always to aid the birds and squirrels.
It has been known that both she and President Harding are especially fond of birds and animals. This was brought to the attention of the Wash- ington public some weeks ago, when the Presi- dent spared the several owls that make their homes in the trees in the rear grounds of the White House.—Washington Star, August 11, 1921.
10 O-U, Reon BS OsU- RE OOF P chad eo Eee aN eee
From Dr. W. O. Stillman, president of the American Humane Association, Albany, N. Y.:
The American Humane Association has held its 45th Annual Meeting, most successfully, in Philadelphia. At one gathering there were some five hundred people present. Shortly be- fore this meeting President Harding planted a tree on the White House Grounds in Washington, in commemoration of nearly seventy thousand American animals which perished in the recent ereat war. The Red Star Department has just erected a splendid Bronze Memorial Tablet in the War Department Building, in Washington, to commemorate the same loss. It was unveiled by Mrs. Harding, in the presence of generals of the army and an important assemblage, and was at once accepted by the War Department on behalf of the Government.
The American Humane Association desires to increase its efficiency and the value of humane work for animal protection during the coming year. It has promised and already undertaken important reforms connected with live stock transportation. Similar actionisurgently needed to correct some of the frightful abuses connected with the slaughterhouses. Range stock reforms need additional attention. Our Association has already undertaken to co-operate with the Goy- ernment to improve conditions in these directions and to secure needed legislation.
>
A great reform which the Red Star has taken up is an exposure of the frightful abuses connected with trapping. A leaflet has been published, entitled. “Cruel Trapping Must Go.” Large prizes are offered for essays discussing the abuses and offering suggestions for their relief. It has been proved, by actual statistics, that millions of small animals are killed each year by steel traps for the sake of their furs. Hundreds of thousands of harmless birds and animals, even domestic animals, are known to be accidentally killed by this cruel practice. As furs are best in winter the traps are often set in remote regions during the time of heavy snow and intense cold. Animals frequently remain in these traps for days, without food or water. Large numbers die of cold and starvation, as well as the assaults of
‘their animal enemies that eat them alive.
“Whitney Made,” Worcester
Little Brethren of the Air
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” -
Huddled in the leafless trees, Storm swept and forlorn,
Little sparrows doze and freeze Till the cheerless morn.
For what of any food is there When the sheeted: white
Of the snows is laid above All the earth at night?
Yet I know one window ledge Where, in direst need,
Little winged souls may find Scattered crumbs and seed. —
And when breaks the cold white day, Comes a twittering sound Where the sparrows chirp ‘‘ Hooray,
See what we have found!’ —M. E. Buhler in the New York Sun.
The Care of Dogs Maker Him Your FRIEND
Make your dog your companion and friend. — Treat him kindly, and he will respond in kind. Remember that his health and comfort are — absolutely dependent on your care. |
SLEEPING QUARTERS
Give him a dry place to sleep in—warm in winter and cool in summer. See that his sleeping place is kept clean. A clean dog is generally free from mange or vermin. If you have a house for him, see that the floor is tight
- gnow and rain.
|
night.
Ween el) Rob O-TeK Ds FRI wN AD'S 11
and raised six inches from the ground, or he will be sure to have rheumatism. A dog house should be protected from cold winds, should face the south, and in winter should have a flap of carpet or canvas over the door to keep out None but dogs of strong, vig- orous breed, used to outdoor life, should be kept in such quarters.
FEEDING _
Feed twice daily, a light meal in the morn- ing, a heavier meal at night. Table scraps, with plenty of vegetables and not too much meat, and little or no fat, make good fare for the
ordinary house dog. Don’t give small bones,
particularly fish or chicken bones. milk to grown dogs. kind. —
Small dogs of the more delicate breeds should be fed on crackers and stale or toasted bread,
Don’t give Don’t give sweets of any
moistened with broth and mixed with a little
lean meat well cooked. : Boiled liver, once or twice a week, is good for most dogs, on account of its effect as a mild laxative. Puppies should be fed at least six times a day on milk which has been scalded but
not boiled; to it can gradually be added broken
erackers and other solid food. Sour milk should be given frequently, as it is a preventive of worms.
PLENTY OF WATER
Give your dog plenty of clean, fresh water, where he can get at it at any time, day and This will help more than almost any- thing else to keep him well, happy, and good tempered.
WASHING .
Do not wash your dog too often. Careful daily brushing will keep him clean for a long time, and rubbing down with chamois mittens will give the coat the gloss so highly prized by fanciers.
Wash when necessary at least two hours after feeding, using lukewarm water, with some good soap. Rinse thoroughly in lukewarm water and dry carefully with coarse towels. Salt or flour bags answer the purpose. Large rough-haired dogs like St. Bernards and collies can best be cleaned by sponging off the outer coat and then giving a good brushing. Delicate long-haired
breeds, such as Yorkshires and poodles, should be dried before the fire. Comb and brush care- fully, being careful not to snarl or break the hair. Never use a fine tooth comb.
FLEAS
For fleas on long-haired dogs, stand the animal on a square of strong white cloth, wet the dog’s head and neck thoroughly with lukewarm water, then dust insect powder into the fur all over the rest of the body, and gather the cloth up around him closely, leaving the head free. In five or ten minutes drop the cloth and brush out the powder. Any fleas that remain will be stupefied and can be easily caught. Short-haired dogs troubled with fleas should be washed with one of the soaps made especially for this purpose, and then carefully combed and brushed.
EXERCISE
Give him plenty of exercise. A dog that is kept fastened up most of the time is an unhappy creature and is likely to become vicious. For
your own sake and for humanity’s.sake give your dog freedom.
LEAGUE NEWS AND NOTES
During the month of December the League received 1809 cats, 425 dogs, 86 horses, and 19 smaller animals. We placed 67 dogs and 39 cats in good homes.
In the autumn and early winter the work the Animal Rescue League is doing saves and pre- vents more suffering than in the spring and sum- mer months, and at the same time is more diffi- cult and expensive.
There are as many deserted and neglected animals in summer as in winter, if not more, but when to gnawing hunger and thirst there is added bitter cold, the suffering is more than doubled.
In warm weather there is a chance for the de- serted and homeless cat to hunt for food, or the dog to dig up a forgotten bone, but when snow and ice cover the ground, then, indeed, the misery of these little fourfooted waifs is complete.
12 O:U_ R: VF O-U- RIO! O81 DSi ee Neos
In summer the pedlar’s horse may snatch a mouthful of grass from the wayside and the poor farmer’s horse may get an hour or two in the field, but in winter these horses that are owned by impecunious and, too often, utterly indif- ferent men, stand in dark and draughty stables, in narrow stalls often for days at a time, half fed, unblanketed, and without any bedding, suffering with cold and hunger.
Because of this suffering the agents of the Animal Rescue League search diligently for old horses, feeble horses, horses with bad feet and legs—in auction rooms, sales stables, boarding stables, and in the country places the agents visit poor farms and find such horses as I have described hidden away in dilapidated barns or sheds.
We purchase these horses when our agent can- not persuade their owners to give them up, pay- ing from five to fifteen dollars for them, and so save them from further misery. We consider this one of the most humane things we do.
Last month our agent, Mr. Macdonald, did unusually good work, as be got possession of 86 horses. A few only of these horses can be taken to our Home of Rest for Horses in Dedham, as nearly all the stalls are filled, but we now have our Medfield Branch in order, with a trustworthy caretaker, and are rapidly filling up the fine box stalls in that barn.