Albert Payson Terhune

“ Bruce was six years younger, tawny of coat, kingly of bearing; a dog without a fault of body or of disposition; stately as the boar-hounds that the painters of old used to love to depict in their portraits of monarchs.
The Place's third dog was Wolf. But neither cup nor ribbon did Wolf have to show as an excuse for his presence on earth. Nor would he have won recognition in the smallest and least exclusive collie-show. ”

“ Evidently, Lad and Bruce were not the only collies on The Place to receive prizes that day.
Wolf stooped over the meat, sniffed at it, then caught it up between his jaws.
Now, a dog is the easiest animal alive to poison, just as a cat is the hardest. For a dog will usually bolt a mouthful of poisoned meat without pausing to chew or otherwise investigate it. A cat, on the contrary, smells and tastes everything first and chews it scientifically before swallowing it. The slightest unfamiliar scent or flavor warns her to sheer off from the feast. ”

“ For just as the thief's palm reached his own throat, Wolf's teeth met in the fleshy part of the hand.
Silent, in agony, the man beat at the dog with his free hand. But an attacking collie is hard to locate in the darkness. A bulldog will secure a grip and will hang on. A collie is everywhere at once. ”

“ Wolf stood, chest deep in water, listening to the far-off oar-strokes until they died away. He was not fool enough to swim in pursuit, well knowing that a swimming dog is worse than helpless against a boatman.
Moreover, the intruder had been scared away. That was all which concerned Wolf. He turned back to shore. His vigil was ended for another few hours. It was time to take up his nap where he had left it off.
Before he had taken two steps, his sensitive nostrils were full of the scent of raw meat. There, on the lawn ahead of him, lay a chunk of beef as big as a fist. ”

“ A dog is ridiculously near-sighted, more so than almost any other beast. Keen hearing and keener scent are its chief guides. At three hundred yards' distance it cannot, by eye, recognize its master, nor tell him from a stranger. But at close quarters, even in the darkest night, a dog's vision is far more piercing and accurate than man's under like conditions.
Wolf thus saw the skiff and its occupant while he himself was still invisible. ”

“ Which rankled at the Boy's heart even while loyalty to his adored pet would not let him confess to himself or to any one else that Wolf was not the most flawlessly perfect dog on earth.
When this story begins, Wolf was four years old. Under-sized (for a collie) , slim, graceful, fierce, affectionate, he was still the Boy's darling and the official guardian of The Place. But all his four years had brought him nothing more than this—the four years that Lad and Bruce had spent in winning prize after prize at one local dog-show after another within a radius of thirty miles. ”

“ He must know what class of undesirable to scare off with a growl and what class needs stronger measures. He must also know to the inch the boundaries of his own master's land.
None of these things can be taught; all of them must be instinctive. Wolf had been born with them. Most dogs are not.
His value as a watch-dog gave Wolf a settled position of his own on The Place. Lad was growing old and a little deaf. He slept, at night, under the piano in the music-room. Bruce was worth too much money to be left at large in the night-time for any clever dog-thief to steal. ”

“ If it did, I know he'd win."
"It makes me sick to see a bushel of cups go to dogs that don't know enough to eat their own dinners," snorted the Boy. "I'm not talking about Lad and Bruce, but the thoroughbreds that are brought up in kennels and that have all their sense sacrificed for points. Why, Wolf's the cleverest—best—and he'll never even have one cup to show for it! He—"
He choked, and began to eat at top speed. The master and the mistress looked at each other and said nothing. They understood their son's chagrin as only a dog-lover could. ”

“ And there is a cup offered for 'the best veteran dog of any recognized breed.' Isn't that fine? We didn't hear of the veteran cup till Dr. Hopper telephoned to us about it this morning. So we're getting Lad ready. There can't be any other veteran as splendid as he is."
"No," agreed the Boy, dully, "I suppose not."
He went into the dining-room, surreptitiously helped himself to a handful of lump-sugar, and passed on out to the veranda. Wolf was sprawled, half asleep, on the driveway lawn in the sun. The dog's wolflike brush of tail began to thump against the shaven grass. ”

“ Then speaking very fast, he went on:
"Well, a ribbon's better than nothing! Dad, will you do me a favor? Will you let me enter Wolfie for the novice class to-morrow? I'll pay the fee out of my allowance. Will you, Dad?" ”