Dog Stories from the Spectator Book

SOME PRESS OPINIONS ON THEFIRST EDITION. Mr. St. Loe Strachey has here collected a very interesting series of anecdotes. Times. The book is sure of a warm welcome. Athenaeum. The book is interesting to all lovers of dogs, and their name is legion, and there are statements in its pages which might profitably engage the attention of men of science and students of philosophy. Stories into a Dog ought to gallop with the swiftness of a greyhound second edition. Speaker. An amusing book, which is certain to find a welcome, at all events at the hands of two men out of three. Standard. The book will be of real interest to all who care for dogs or the study of character in general. Morning Post. The contents of this book are entertaining and remarkable. Daily Telegraph. The Dog Stories collected from the Spectator, and with an in- troduction written by J. St. Loe Strachey, are indeed most delightful, and a collection of tales that all dog-lovers will be sure to appreciate and enjoy. Gentlewoman. Of real importance to students of the instincts and habits of animal. Nature. Suggestive and profoundly interesting. Mr. Strachey has done his task well. Admiraltyand Horse Guards Gazette. These are extraordinary and well-authenticated anecdotes, which will doubtless be eagerly read by lovers of pets, and students of animal life. Christian World. This is certainly the best collection of dog stories that has ever been published. Star. Alike provocative of wonder, laughter and tears. N.B. Daily Mail. DOG STORIES FROM THE SPECTATOR BEING ANECDOTES OF THE INTELLIGENCE, REASON- ING POWER, AFFECTION AND SYMPATHY OF DOGS, SELECTED FROM THE CORRESPON- DENCE COLUMNS OF THE SPECTATOR J. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ST. LOE STRACHEY Second and Enlarged Edition. T. FISHER UNWIN 1896 Sir, to leave things out of a book, merely because people tell you they will not be believed, is meanness. Dr. Johnson. All rights reserved. CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION . . .1 INTRODUCTION ..... SYLLOGISTIC DOGS . . . . . 1 THE REASONING POWER OF DOGS... 49 EMOTION AND SENTIMENT IN DOGS . . .99 DOGS AND THE ARTS . . . . Iig DOG FRIENDSHIPS . . . . .13 CURIOUS HABITS OF DOGS . . . .155 THE SENSE OF HUMOUR AND CUNNING IN DOGS . 165 USEFUL DOGS. ..... 177 MISCELLANEOUS . . . . . .193 ADDITIONAL STORIES. DOGS AND HUMAN SPEECH . . . .261 DOGS AND THEIR POWER TO FEEL EMOTION . 271 BOB, THE AUSTRALIAN RAILWAY DOG . . 287 MORE MISCELLANEOUS STORIES. . . .299 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. THE kindness with which Dog Stories from the Spectator has been received by the public, has made it necessary to issue a second edition. This affords me an opportunity of including some further examples of intelligence in dogs which have appeared in the Spectator since the formation of the original collection. Some of these new stories, it will I think be agreed, are quite as good as any of those previously published. Of very special interest are the anecdotes which I have placed together under the title of Dogs and Human Speech. Ifwe accept these stories as trustworthy, they seem to ieave little doubt that many dogs are very far advanced in the understanding of human language. If, however, we reject this, the simple and straightforward explanation of the evidence afforded by the letters, we must choose one or other of the following solutions of the problem. These stories may of course all be i hoaxes 2 instances of faulty observation 3 coincidences, i.e., the chance linking of the utterance of certain words with certain acts by dogs, though in reality the words and acts had nothing to do with each other 4 hallucination on the part of the reporters they were so convinced that the dogs could understand, that they ima- gined the dogs to do things which in reality they never did...Read More