Oto-Man wrote:As far as my dogs...
Animals are not people...they can be better...much better....than most of the humans I have dealt with.
Oto-out
Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog
Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who
possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
and all the Virtues of Man,
without his Vices.
This Praise, which would be unmeaning
Flattery if inscribed over human
ashes is but a just tribute to the Memory
of Boatswain,a Dog.
Lord Byron
A Eulogy to a Dog
We all know that dogs have special qualities which make them unique among all creatures on this earth. Their devotion and loyalty to man, have set them apart. One of the most enduring eulogies to this affect was presented by a Sedalia, Mo. lawyer by name of George Graham Vest, who was later to become a US Senator.. His speech was in response to a
lawsuit on behalf of "Old Drum", a foxhound who was viciously killed by a human neighbor. His owner brought suit for damages. Senator Vest concluded his case with the following speech:
"Gentlemen of the jury, the best friend a man has in the world many turn
against him and become his worst enemy. His son or daughter that he has
reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and
dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend
that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. Gentleman of the jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he maybe near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies and when the last scene of all come, and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his grave side will the noble dog be found. his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death."
Old Drum's master won his suit, amidst a courtroom filled with tears,
and Senator Vest's statement has been preserved as a classic statement
as presented above.
Tough
