hes will be placed upon the ground,
and sometimes affection will venture to offer just "the little piece,"
which no one could call feeding. It is astonishing how much will in this
way be picked up, for the dog that lies most before the kitchen fire is
generally the fattest, laziest, and at feeding time the best behaved of
his company. Consequently no dog should be allowed to enter the kitchen,
for their arts in working upon mortal frailty can only be met by insisting
on their absence. The dog that is well fed and not crammed, should not
refuse bread when it is offered. If this be rejected, while sugar is
eagerly snapped up, it will be pretty certain that the animal is either
too much indulged, or that its health requires attention.

Some writers recommend pot-liquor for dogs. It is not advisable to use
this. The water in which salt meat has been boiled ought never to be
employed. Greens are not nutritious, but they often purge; and if the
animal will eat them, they can sometimes be given when liver cannot be
obtained. Potatoes will, with other substances, agree with animals not
required for work, but the rice I have recommended will be found for
general purposes the best, and not the most expensive food upon which the
animal can be sustained. Persons having lap-dogs will moreover find the
keep upon rice, properly seasoned, or soaked in gravy, less liable to
render these creatures strong or tainted than the provender which is
choicely selected from the joint provided for the family dinner. The warm
meat too often presented to these creatures is apt to enfeeble their
digestions; for their stomachs are soon deranged, and they never should be
allowed to taste any kind of food which is not perfectly cold.

The food for diseased dogs should be prepared with extreme care, and no
disregard of cleanliness; in fact, it should in every respect be such as a
human being could partake of, provided the ingredients were not repugnant
to his taste. Sickness cannot be relieved without trouble, and in many
cases an animal requires as much attention as a child. To gain success,
neither time, labor, nor expense must be begrudged; but the attendant must
be assiduous and the cook skilful. Nothing smoked or burnt, no refuse or
tainted flesh, must on any account be made use of. The meat may be coarse,
but it should be fresh and wholesome. Dirty saucepans or dishes ought not
to be employed; and so very important are these circumstances, that the