"He has a large, clean kennel," said the boy, stooping to pat the dog's
silky head. "I wash the whole kennel every week. His bed is made of pine
shavings, and in cold weather I put in a pile of them, so that he can
have a blanket as well as a bed. The kennel is raised on blocks, so that
it will not be damp, and there is a platform in front of it for hot
nights. When it is chilly, I hang a piece of old carpet over the door,
and on very cold nights he sleeps on his own rug in the laundry. He is a
big, strong dog, and he doesn't like too warm a room to sleep in."

"How often do you wash him?" asked Uncle Frank.

"About twice a month," said Edward, "I give him a bath in lukewarm water
and with Castile soap. I rinse the soap off with clear water, rub him
dry, and let him have a good scamper in the fields. I comb and brush him
thoroughly every day. That makes his coat clean and glossy. Once when he
had fleas I washed him with carbolic soap, and then took him in
swimming. I have been told that for a small dog the yolk of an egg is
better than any kind of soap, but I have never tried it for Chum."

"What does he have to eat, and how often do you feed him?"

He has two meals a day now. Sometimes he has dog biscuit soaked in water
or soup. Sometimes he likes his biscuit dry. Nearly every day he has a
few scraps of meat or a bone. He likes corn cake and brown bread and
macaroni, too. Sometimes I mix the meat and vegetables with mush made
from some cereal."

"I suppose you know," said Uncle Frank, "that a dog needs vegetable
food, and that he cannot keep well without it?"