A Dog's Tale

Infobox Book
name = A Dog's Tale
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Mark Twain
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Short Story
publisher = Harper & Brothers
release_date = 1904
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages =
isbn = NA
preceded_by = Edmund Burke on Croker and Tammany
followed_by = A Horse's Tale

'A Dog's Tale' is a short story written by Mark Twain. It first appeared in the December 1903 issue of Harper's magazine. In January of the following year it was extracted into a stand-alone pamphlet published for the National Anti-Vivisection Society. Still later in 1904 it was expanded into a book published by Harper & Brothers.

ummary

The book is told from the standpoint of a loyal household pet, self described by the first sentence of the story; "My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian." The story begins with a description of the dog's life as a puppy and her separation from her mother, which to her was inexplicable. Her puppy and her owner's new child were soon added to her new home. When a fire breaks out in the nursery, the dog risks her life to drag the baby to safety. In the process, her motives are misunderstood and she is cruelly beaten. Soon however, the truth of the situation is discovered and she receives no end of praise. Later in the story, her puppy dies as a result of the owner's biological experiments. Only a servant seems to realize the irony, exclaiming, "Poor little doggie, you saved HIS child!" In the end, the dog pines inconsolable over the grave of the puppy with the clear implication that she will do so until death.

External links

* [http://www.mtwain.com/A_Dog's_Tale/0.html Electronic Text]