To A Child, About a Dog...

 To A Child
About a Dog

 

The truest of unselfish friends;
The pal whose loving never ends.
In times of want or of increase
His selfless loving will not cease.

Through all his life (a little span)
He has no hope and makes no plan
Save giving all his love to man.

So honor, cherish and defend
The love and life of our dog friend.

J.M.

A Wag or Two More for You

 A Wag or Two More for You

The world is glad to-day--
All of the world --let's play!

Along the juicy grass
The good smells pass.

The little leaves all make
New noises as they shake
And twinkle in the sun.
Smooth shadows slide and run.

The buzzing bugs whiz by;
The trees play with the sky;
Oh, you, let's run!
Let's scratch and sniff and dig
Where holes are dark and big!
Come, come let's run!
Oh, Boy, what fun!

That's how I feel to-day.
Oh, Children mine, come play!

Your Dog Friend

The Christmas Dog

        ''A little girl named Peggy,'' said daddy, ''wrote a letter to Santa Claus, and this is what she said:      

''Dear Santa Claus: 

       I would like a rag doll and a doll which says Mamma and Papa, and can shut her eyes. I also want a book and a set of paints, and please, dear Santa, bring my mother and daddy a doggie to guard the house. I want a doggie too, but mother and daddy also want one, so we could all share one doggie.

"'Your affectionate little friend, Peggy.''

P. S. Please give my love to your Reindeer and a great deal of love for you, dear Santa Claus.

       ''She put her letter down by the fireplace and the next morning it was gone, for she had addressed it quite correctly to 'Mr. Santa Claus, By the Fireplace.' As he was on the lookout for letters such as these around Christmas time, of course, he got it safely.

       Now Santa Claus loves to get letters. His mail around Christmas time is tremendous. But the more he gets, the more he chuckles and laughs to himself. 'Oh this is splendid,' he says, as he opens letter after letter. Days went by and Peggy kept wondering what Santa Claus would bring her for Christmas. She thought of writing him again about the doggie, for her mother and daddy would say so often.

      ''It would be a great protection if we only had a dog. This house is rather far away from the rest, and then we would be safe. Besides, a dog is such a companionable animal and the children would love him.''

       ''Somehow, she didn't like to write again to Santa Claus, but just before bedtime each night, she would whisper up the chimney - 'Please, dear Santa Claus, don't forget the doggie - and the doll, and the paint box - and - and,' but by this time her mother had led her off, for she would have gone on talking and talking to Santa Claus. And if she had kept on talking and missing her sleep, she would have been too tired to enjoy Christmas Day when it came.

       At last it was Christmas Eve. Again Peggy called up the chimney, and she put her stocking first on one side and then the other. And by her stocking hung four smaller ones, for Peggy's little sisters and brothers.

       ''Good night, Santa Claus, Merry Christmas. My love to the Reindeer,'' called Peggy for the last time. And the younger children called out too, 'Good night, Santa Claus, give our love to the Reindeer.'

       And off they all trotted to the land of dreams which they had to pass through before Christmas morning would come.

       The next morning, bright and early, Peggy and her sisters and brothers were up looking at their stockings. Such goodies as they found! Peggy got her rag doll, and a doll who could shut her eyes, and say 'Mamma, Papa.' And she got a set of paints and a fine book.

       Her sisters and brothers got the presents they had asked for, and they had such fun over the oranges in their stockings. Several of them were covered with black soot which Santa had dropped coming down

the chimney! They loved to think of how Santa Claus had picked out these very oranges himself.

       But when the first excitement was over, Peggy thought to herself, 'There is no doggie.' But then she thought Santa Claus was not supposed to get her everything she asked for. So after brushing away a tear which had fallen she began to laugh and play and say, 'Merry Christmas,' over and over and over again, to her mother and daddy, her sisters and brothers. But in a moment or two they all thought they heard a whimper outside the front door. 'I shall see what can be outside,' said Peggy, with beating heart. She opened the door! And there stood a little white dog, shivering miserably in the cold. 'I have no home,' the little dog's eyes seemed to say, and as Peggy held him closely to her she said, 'I know Santa Claus sent you here, and I wish you a Merry Christmas! And this is to be your home, Doggie dear!'

• Here's A Puppy to Color for Christmas!
• Let's paint a polka-dot puppy for the Christmas tree...

The Bravery Medal

       "Two children," said daddy, "were skating on a pond. It was a blustery, snowy afternoon, and they were the only ones on the ice.''

       "A big dog was taking a good run on this cold winter's day when he spied the children on the pond."

       ''He went down to the pond and ran across it a little way, but the ice had a bad way of creaking, and he was sure it was not so very firm.He decided that he had better stay around to see that nothing happened to the children.''

       ''He had been there but a moment or two when a terrific crack in the ice sounded. It gave way, and the two children fell through. The sheet of ice broke rapidly, and the water was soon clear for some distance around them.''

       ''Quickly the dog went to the rescue of the children and swam to the shore with them. He saw some people drive by in a sleigh on the road above, and he barked so frantically that they stopped to see what the trouble was. Then, of course, they drove the two children to their home. The big dog went along too. The hero simply said 'Bow-wow!' when later they fastened a medal on his collar. He wanted to tell them that he thought they were being very good to him, and he thanked them, but at the same time he was so modest that he didn't think he had been so brave. He felt any other dog would have done just the same, as he adored children.

The Animal Store

The Animal Store
Rachel Field

If I had a hundred dollars to spend,
Or maybe a little more,
I'd hurry as fast as my legs would go
Straight to the animal store.

I wouldn't say, "How much for this or
that?"
"What kind of a dog is he?"
I'd buy as many as rolled an eye,
Or wagged a tail at me!

I'd take the hound with the drooping ears
That sits by himself alone;
Cockers and Cairns and wobbly pups
For to be my very own.

I might buy a parrot all red and green,
And the monkey I saw before,
If I had a hundred dollars to spend,
Or maybe a little more.

The Hurricane Puppy

 

Peterkin Puppy
by Helen Cowles LeCron

Peterkin Puppy just lived in a
hurry!
Petterkin Puppy could never sit still!
He'd rush through the house in a terrible
flurry,
And, oh, all the dishes he'd break and
he'd spill!

He'd race by the vases and set them to
rocking,-
He'd rush through the kitchen and
tumble upstairs,-
He'd brush past the table (oh, wasn't it
shocking?)
And scatter the books and tip over the
chairs!

"Hurricane Peter," the neighbors all
called him,
"hurricane Peter," he's called to this
day!
Shouldn't you think that the name would
have tamed him?
Puppies should always take care when
they play!

The Dog and Goose

A grateful companion.

        A goose was once observed to attach itself in the strongest and most affectionate manner to the house dog, but never presumed to go into the kennel except in rainy weather; whenever the dog barked, the goose would cackle, and run at the person she supposed the dog barked at, and try to bite him by the heels. Sometimes she would attempt to feed with the dog; but this the dog, who treated his faithful companion with indifference, would not suffer. This bird would not go to roost with the others at night, unless driven by main force; and when in the morning they were turned into the field, she would never stir from the yard gate, but sit there the whole day in sight of the dog. At length orders were given that she should no longer be molested; being thus left to herself, she ran about the yard with him all night, and what is particularly remarkable, whenever the dog went out of the yard and ran into the village, the goose always accompanied him, contriving to keep up with him by the assistance of her wings, and in this way of running and flying, followed him all over the parish. This extraordinary affection of the goose towards the dog, which continued till his death, two years after it was first observed, is supposed to have originated in his having saved her from a fox, in the very moment of distress.
       While the dog was ill, the goose never quitted him, day or night, not even to feed; and it was apprehended that she would have been starved to death had not a pan of corn been set every day close to the kennel. At this time the goose generally sat in the kennel, and would not suffer any one to approach it, except the person who brought the dog's, or her own food. The end of this faithful bird was melancholy; for when the dog died, she would still keep possession of the kennel, and a new house dog being introduced, which in size and color resembled that lately lost, the poor goose was unhappily deceived, and going into the kennel as usual, the new inhabitant seized her by the throat and killed her.

A Canine Sheep Stealer

Dog theft by sent at night!

        A shepherd, who was hanged for sheep-stealing, used to commit his depredations by means of his dog. When he intended to steal any sheep, he detached the dog to perform the business. With this view, under pretence of looking at the sheep, with an intention to purchase them, he went through the flock with the dog at his foot, to whom he secretly gave a signal, so as to let him know the particular sheep he wanted, perhaps to the number of ten or twelve, out of a flock of some hundreds; he then went away, and from a distance of several miles, sent back the dog by himself in the night time, who picked out the individual sheep that had been pointed out to him, separated them from the flock, and drove them before him, frequently a distance of ten or twelve miles, till he came up with his master, to whom he delivered up his charge.

Canine Smugglers

The night delivery.

        Long ago in the Netherlands, they used dogs of a very large and strong  breed, for the purpose of work. They were harnessed like horses, and chiefly employed in drawing little carts with fish, vegetables, &c., to market. Previous to the year 1795, such dogs were also employed in smuggling; which was the more easy, as they are exceedingly docile. The dogs were trained to go backwards and forwards between two places on the frontiers, without any person to attend them. Being loaded with little parcels of goods, lace, &c., like mules, they set out at midnight, and only went when it was perfectly dark. An excellent quick-scented dog always went some paces before the others, stretched out his nose towards all quarters, and when he scented custom-house officers, turned back, which was the signal for immediate flight. Concealed behind bushes, or in ditches, the dogs waited till all was safe, then proceeded on their journey, and reached at last beyond the frontier the dwelling-house of the receiver of the goods, who was in the secret. But here, also, the leading dog only at first showed himself; on a certain whistle, which was a signal that all was right, they all hastened up. They were then unloaded, taken to a convenient stable, where there was a good layer of hay, and well fed. There they rested until midnight, and then returned in the same manner back, over the frontiers.

Paper Cuts of Farm Animals

        Below, I have restored a few paper farm animals: horse, cow, goat, duck, rooster, sheep, dog, bunny, pig and cat. These may be freely used by students and teachers for the classroom. Silhouettes on my blog are not to be redistributed by alternative websites and are not meant to be sold or purchased.

These paper cuts of animals found on the farm would make great design
elements in a classroom or any other art project a young
student might need them for.

Two Illustrated Rhymes from The 1800's

Illustrated rhyme from St. Nicholas Book anthologies.

 "Angelina Titherington

Was not at all too smart.

She bought some cheese

and butter-beans

To make an Apple tart."

Illustrated rhyme from St. Nicholas Book anthologies.

"My little dog's 

quite clever,

When we go 

for a lark,

He's smarter then

than ever,

He'll bark and bark

and bark."

Mother Hubbard's Dog

"I'm Old Mother Hubbard's Dog, you know,
That's why I'm dressed in style."

MOTHER HUBBARD'S DOG

SAID Tilly and Tim, "We'll speak to him now,
And hear what he has to say."
To the well-dressed dog they made a bow,
And said, in their pleasantest way:
" Doggy, pray how do you do ?
Grant us an interview;
We' re going the rounds
Of these wide-spreading grounds,
And we want to begin with you."

The dog arose, and, bowing low,
Said with a cordial smile,
"I'm Old Mother Hubbard's dog, you know,
That's why I 'm dressed in style."
"Oho!" said Tilly and Tim,
Greatly admiring him,
" Pray tell how you came
To live with the dame, -
Was it a frivolous whim?"

"Well," said the dog, "'twas thus, you see;
When I was a tiny pup,
Somehow it always seemed to me
I 'd be famous when I grew up.
In the dog-days I was born,
When the dog-star shone in the morn;
And what do you s'pose?
A little dog-rose
Did always my collar adorn.

"I lived in a dog-wood, dark and drear,
Where nothing to eat I spied
But a dog-berry now and then, or I fear
I frequently might have died.
When one fine day, by chance,
I saw Mother Hubbard advance.
To her then I ran,
And quickly began
To turn somersaults and dance.

"'Oho,' said the dear old dame, said she,

 'A dog like you, I think,
I 'd like to adopt to live with me.'
Said I as quick as a wink: 

'Oh, Mother Hubbard, pray do
Take me to live with you;
You'll certainly find
I 'm gentle and kind,
Faithful and honest and true.'

" 'To that,' said the old dame, 'I agree.'
She adopted me then and there,
And for many years she gave to me
The best and kindest care.
She bought me fruit and bread,
She bought me this jacket red;
She was satisfied,
And filled with pride
If I danced or stood on my head.

" She was always giving me beautiful things,
And buying me this and that;
She loaded me with dog-watches and rings,
And bought me a feathered hat.
She bought me fine stockings and
shoes,
And neckties of various hues;
She bought me a wig
If I danced her a jig,
Which of course I would never refuse.

" But, alas and alack, it happened one day,
In spite of her thoughtful care,
That somebody stole all her food away
And left her cupboard bare ;
And rather than face the dame
Saddened with grief and shame,
The ocean I crossed,
Not a moment I lost,
But to Mother Goose I came.

"Cordially Mother Goose welcomed me,
And said, 'How do you do ?
I 'm sure in my spacious menagerie
I can find room for you'
So I stayed here, you see,
And I 'm happy as I can be;
For I'll be bound
That here I have found
The very best place for me.

" Of course I 've made in this good home
Many and excellent friends;
No more abroad I care to roam,
And so, - my story ends."
" But tell us," said Tilly and Tim,
As they narrowly looked at him,
" Why weren't you lost
When the ocean you crossed?
Are you a sea-dog? Can you swim? "

" Well," said the dog, " I came in a craft
That has never been seen by men.
It wasn't a steamer, a barge, or a raft."
Said Tilly and Tim,  "What, then?"
Said the dog, " I'll confide to you, -
A canoe brought me here to the Zoo."
"Birchbark? " they cried.
" No," he replied,
"I came in a dog-bark canoe"

Animal Intelligence

       It is generally known that many animals possess in a greater or less degree the same senses that we ourselves have: sight, hearing, smell, touch, temperature and so on and that many of them experience such emotions as: anger, grief and joy; but it is not by any means so certain that they have even the elements of reason as we understand that term.

       The sense of touch in man is keenest in the finger tips, the lips and the tip of the tongue. In the lower animals the regions of greatest sensitiveness are often different, and in some animals special and very delicate touch organs have been developed; as, for example, the whiskers of the eat and the long hair on the rabbit's lip, by means of which these animals can readily find their way in the densest darkness. The wing of the bat is also very sensitive to touch.

       In man the sense of taste is keen and resides in the taste bulbs which cover the tongue and palate. In birds and reptiles the sense of taste is not very well developed. Insects recognize the difference between sweet and bitter, but do not seem to be affected by other flavors. Many animals show an instinctive dislike for certain foods, but it may be more from the sense of smell than from taste, for the two are very closely allied.

       In some animals the sense of smell is exceedingly acute. The dog can track his master through the crowded street; the deer recognizes the presence of an enemy very quickly. But birds have little sense of smell, and reptiles also are dull in this respect. Fish differ; it is said that the shark is almost entirely dependent on his sense of smell for his food. In insects this sense is most keenly developed.

       Most of the mammals and the birds have a keen sense of hearing. The astonishing manner in which some birds will imitate the songs of other birds testifies to the accuracy of their hearing; but fishes hear little, though it has been proved that they can hear to some extent. Certain insects hear and can distinguish sounds that are pitched higher than the human ear is able to recognize.

       The keenness of vision possessed by birds is most remarkable. The swift, flying high through the air, detects on the ground its minute food. The eagle sees his prey from long distances entirely beyond the range of the human eye. Some animals, such as frogs and toads, have keen vision only at short range, and fish seem to be entirely unable to distinguish prey at any great distance from themselves. It is known that certain insects distinguish between colors.

       That the higher animals have memory is very certain; a puppy, having been stung by a bee, will ever after avoid the insect, and may even flee at the sound of its humming. Dogs are known to have recognized their masters after years of absence, and they have been known to show strong resentment after many years against an individual who mistreated them.

       Animals certainly draw inferences from what they see, but apparently in purely instinctive manner. The best writers seem to doubt whether an animal can put together different facts and establish a conclusion. The extent to which the intelligence of animals goes in this direction, however, is a subject of dispute. Some writers maintain that animals really teach their young; others protest that nothing of the sort is ever done - that the actions of a bird in throwing her young from the nest are purely instinctive, and not with any thought of the young birds' welfare. Many modern writers have taken a different stand and have written exceedingly interesting accounts and imaginative histories of many animals.

• How Smart Are Animals? 
• What makes an animal clever? Research shows intelligence is not just about using tools
• Of all the animals on the Earth, these 15 are the smartest...

The donkey and the dog pull a cart...

Dear Children,

       There was a letter in the mail today from your Mama, in which she said the church was getting ready for "Children's Day." You just tell your Mama that the church ought to be ready all the time. When you get older, I want you to read that story in the Bible where five people started out in the dark, without any coal oil in their lamps. And then there is another story that ought to have been in the Good Book; it tells about a man with a lantern looking all around for an honest man.

       There was a funny thing happened today, in the street, right in front of our house. Some boys hitched up a dog and a goat to a little wagon. Now, this kind of a team did not match. That is one did not look very much like the other. I think the goat was older than the dog, because of his beard. They had harness and bridles and lines on them. The boys had a whip, but they didn't need a whip. The team did not seem to know what was said to them. The dog's name was Tray, and the goat didn't have any name at all, and if he ever had a name, he didn't want anybody to know it, for he had been caught in bad company. The dog went entirely too fast for the goat. The dog was a loper, and the Billy Goat was a pacer. The dog barked, but I could not hear what the goat did say about it ; almost sounded like swearing. The dog was going too fast for Billy; so when they came to the street corner, the dog tried to turn alright but Billy tried his best to go straight on, and this didn't last long. The wagon smashed into a gate that was hanging open on the sidewalk, and here the driver was thrown out; but it never hurt him until he struck the ground. Billy had gotten himself turned around in the harness, and seemed as if he wanted to go somewhere, and the dog appeared as if he intended going somewhere else. Just at this time three more dogs came along, and Billy did not seem to be in a very good humor about something, so he reared and plunged, and finally broke his bridle, and started pell-mell down the street; sometimes the goat was ahead, and sometimes the dog. The goat got behind, but some way caught up. On turning the next corner, the wagon upset, and who do you think was coming up the sidewalk, just at this time? Well, it was Grandma, and, among other things, she had a basket of apples carrying along at arms length, and as the dog and goat passed her, the wagon was still coming on, and when it passed her the basket of apples was in the way, and now I am sure she won't ask me to go to prayer meeting with her again for at least two weeks.

Love, Grandpa.

Dixie, a professional cart goat.

"The Doll Party" letter from grandpa

Dear Children,

       Papa's letter came this morning. I was disappointed in his dog story. I don't suppose  he had a dog when he was a boy, as he had nothing to say about ever having been rabbit hunting when he was young; he surely was a boy, even if it was a long time ago.

       If he ever went rabbit hunting he ought to remember all about it. Your Papa could not have been a very big boy or very old when he was born, else he would know more about dogs, or perhaps, he lived in one of the big towns, about which I am going to write you, sometime, where dogs were not allowed to stay.

       Now, there are about as many little girls in the world as there are little boys, at any rate a good little girl is better than a half dozen bad boys. I am going to write something about dolls. I do not know how many little dollies there are in the world, but there are a great many. I don't know all about how dolls are made, still I do know that they are made, and made mostly for children. Of course, I mean little girls, and I have never met a little girl in all this great big round world but who at some time or other had a little dolly. I wish I could tell you about all the different kind of dolls I have seen, and there are so many pretty names for dolls. Little girls have about as many names for dollies as boys have names for their dogs. You should never give a doll more than one name. Dolls do not know much about names, anyhow, even a short name will in most cases last as long as a dolly does.

       I must tell you about a doll party that your Mama gave when she was a little girl. A great many invitations were sent out; in fact, every little girl in the village was invited, and every little girl came bringing with her one or more dolls. A doll supper was prepared, and, although nearly every dolly came with a new bib or apron of some kind on, not a dolly opened its mouth, and I am going to let you guess who ate the nuts and figs and raisins and other good things. At this doll party, there were many little childish games played, and after supper the dolls were arranged for some kind of services, so they finally agreed to have a doll meeting, and the dollies were seated in chairs, a pulpit was put in shape, made up of some paper boxes; but who would preach? It did not seem well to have a lady doll for a preacher, so a little boy who chanced to happen in, bethought himself that he could supply the needed minister. So, he presented the party the use of his Jumping Jack. "This," said one little girl, "will be just the thing," and they all shouted, "That's all right;" but the Jumping Jack would neither stand up nor lay down, would not sit cross-legged nor look sad; so after several vain efforts on the part of the children to have a church meeting for their dolls, one little girl thoughtfully said: "Girls, this awkward Jack will not do for a preacher for our little dollies, but I‚'ll tell you what we can do - we can make an Evangelist out of him."

       I don't know yet what I am going to write about next time, as much will depend on how Grandma's corns are getting along, and whether she has good luck with her mince pies.

Love, Grandpa.

How to make a jumping jack doll with your grandchild...

Little Miss Crewe...

Little Miss Crewe

Has lost her shoe,

And can't tell where to find it.

Move out the chest,

And cease the quest,

For doggy 

and she

are 

behind it.

Bow-wow, little dog...

Bow-wow, little dog, have you any name?

Yes sir, two, but they don't mean the same,

One from my master, he calls me "Champ,"

An one from the neighbors, the call me "Scamp."

by Dorothy G. Rice.

Japanese Silhouette Version of Old Mother Hubbard

       Here is a unique set of silhouettes or paper cuts of a Mother Goose Rhyme, "Old Mother Hubbard" done up in a Japanese motif. The silhouettes are mounted on top of an ancient Japanese kimono design.

Paper cuts of sports and social occasions...

The following paper cuts depict everyday life during Jane Austen's era Ladies and gentlemen are dressed in Empire waist gowns and top hats with canes.

People play croquet, a lawn game using wickets, mallets and a wooden ball.

Gentlemen in the field for a hunt with their sporting dogs and rifles.

Ladies and gentlemen greeting one another with a curtsy and bow.

Two lovers sit on a park bench kissing while another vignette shows a mother with children approaching a column in a park setting.

Don't Belittle Little Things

Picture includes a puppy, bee, garden, flowers, cloudy day etc...

"Don't Belittle, Little Things"

A pup on a lark with a joyous bark,

In the clover was fanciful free.

He scampered amuck; stopped very abrupt,

When he chanced on a big bumblebee.

Now the bee looked up at the lazy pup,

The pup thereupon showed his teeth;

"I've got teeth too," said the bumblebee,

"Tho' I may be little and hard to see."

So he stung the pup with an angry buzz;

Now the pup's not so cocky as he used to wuz.