Intelligence of Animals

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 27, 1879

Intelligence of Animals.

Dogs hold a high social position in Paris, and the result of association with people of good manners is to convert the Parisian dog into an entirely different animal from his provincial brother. An eminent veterinary surgeon in Paris has lately expressed his conviction that dogs are peculiarly susceptible to the influences of civilization. Dogs brought up in the salons of Paris, he observes, behave in all respects with more dignity and intelligence than those to be found in farm houses in the country districts, who pass their lives in the company of agricultural servants in the stable or farm-yard. These country dogs are, as a rule, very far from being refined. The Parisian dogs, on the other hand, accustomed to move in good society and well educated, are remarkable for delicacy, self-possession, good taste and an utter absence of uncouthness in their behavior. There are, this doctor believes, dogs in Paris that, strange as it may seem, have a keen sense of humor, and are capable of appreciating even the higher forms of wit.