My Dogs in the Northland (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902. Excerpt: ... VOYAGEUR, THE MATCHLESS LEADEE OYAGEUR was the finest leader dog I ever owned. No horse responded Y more quickly to the pull upon the rein than did Voyageur to the voice of his driver. Certain words used by the dogdrivers soon become well understood by the leaders, and are obeyed by them with more or less promptness according to the intelligence or training of the dogs. Some dogs that at times display great intelligence and quickness in responding to the calls of the driver, at other times seem provokingly stupid. But Voyageur could always be depended upon. "Marche " to him always meant " Go on," while " Chaw" or "Yee," meant to turn to the right or left as might be required, and never did he mistake the one for the other. Then when " Isse " was added to either word, he knew it meant to turn back sharp and quick on the trail on the side indicated by the added word. Voyageur was a large, long-legged nearly white dog of mixed breed, and not what might be called handsome. When being trained in early life, he displayed such an amount of fierceness and stubbornness that he was severely whipped. On one of these occasions the end of the heavy lash accidentally struck him in one of his eyes and destroyed it. This was a great sorrow to his master, but it did not in the end seem to be much of an injury to Voyageur. However, it made him ever after extremely nervous, and he ever resented being silently approached on his blind side. He was never an affectionate or playful dog. A petting he considered an insult. Kind words offered in return for some splendid work done by him he treated with scorn, unless they were accompanied by an extra gift of pemmican or an additional fish to his usual allowance. He never was seen to play with other dogs, and so vigourously did he r...