And made them almost humanly intelligent

And made them almost humanly intelligent

And made them almost humanly intelligent

All these little requirements and necessities may seem absurd to those who think a dog is a dog and nothing more; but we have bred generation after generation of toys to be in our constant company, and made them almost humanly intelligent, while, naturally, their small brains have no human balance; and that a nervous toy dog does need such consideration will be granted, I am sure, by all successful breeders. At the same time, I am by no means advocating the silly system of over-petting and over-feeding, whereby dogs can be made a nuisance to themselves and every one else. Because a child must be taken care of, it does not follow that it need be spoiled: we ought to put a hat on its head when it goes out in the sun, but we need not walk beside it, holding an umbrella over it; and so with our small dogs they must be watched and cared for, but they need not, and should not, be coddled and made silly.