Petiquette in the 1930’s Etiquette Era

 

“Diet, Mrs. Jones looks after. During this mild weather she gives the dog one meal a day. Meat and milk are the main courses. Vegetables, starchy foods she gives in small doses.”
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
 Mrs. Jones was maybe behind the times a bit… According to one source, “The 1930’s seemed to be the golden age of processed dog food. Ken-L-Ration brought the first canned horse meat option. They sponsored a popular radio show, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. 50,000 horses a year were slaughtered for the production of dog food. By 1941, 90% of dog food was canned.” – LuckyDogCuisine

This pup will never be Public Enemy No. 1. Each member of the Jones family shares in his care and training.

Junior takes pride in teaching him manners. To train him to lie down, Junior says "down," pulls out his pet's forepaws. As soon as Mr. Dog learns this trick, Junior teaches others: "Speak" retrieve and carry, shake hands.

Another chore for Junior is the daily combing of the dog's coat. Baths should be given seldom; twice a year is enough.

Diet, Mrs. Jones looks after. During this mild weather she gives the dog one meal a day. Meat and milk are the main courses. Vegetables, starchy foods she gives in small doses.

Mr. Jones? He's the trouble shooter. If distemper, eczema symptoms appear, he knows just what to do for a sick dog.

Many more points on dog care are given in our 32-page booklet. Practical information every dog owner needs diet, grooming, training, ailments.

***Send 10c for your copy of How to Choose and Care for Your Dog to The Journal, Home Service, 117 East Fifth street, Santa AnaBe sure to write plainly your name, address and the name of booklet. – Santa Ana Journal, 1937

***Etiquipedia has included the initial added blurb from 1937, offering a booklet for 10 cents, simply for historical accuracy. This offer (and newspaper) is no longer available.

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Bird Etiquette for Hong Kong’s Elites

Even walking adheres to a strict etiquette. Cages are draped with starched white-cotton covers to protect its occupants from traffic noises and passers-by, and, allegedly, to ward off cockroaches and mosquitoes. Most highly prized are the song birds, including the seung see (a miniature canary with yellow/green plumage), the wah mei (brown thrush with a white streak over the eyes), crimson cockatoos and gray finches. 

— Photo of a wah mei (brown thrush with a white streak over the eyes)

The Elites and Tweets Around Hong Kong

A man’s reputation here rests not on the company he keeps or the dogs he owns, but on the birds he walks.

You’ll find there’s more to Hong Kong than shopping and dim sum. For in this high-density, high-rise city, the popular pet of choice is the bird.

If you are up early, like most of the locals, you can hear the song of the thrush as it hops about its cage swinging from the limb of a mulberry tree, joining a host of others in an arbor of trees dripping bird cages.

“Bird lovers,” as they are called, sling these bamboo domiciles on branches, creating a special primeval forest for their feathered pets.

Devotees, believing that birds cooped up indoors in the city’s crowded apartments will become depressed and lose their will to sing, head for parks with their caged companions at about 5 or 6 a.m. everyday. They hope to make the bird’s day brighter and to enhance their warbling through discourse with other birds.

Chances are you’ll encounter a little Oriental man swinging his bird cage gently as he saunters into Kowloon Park for his morning ritual.

Network of Narrow Paths

He meanders up and back the network of narrow paths. No lost soul, he is a man with a mission: to increase the contentment of his winged friend.

Every so often he will stop, greet friends, place the cage at his feet and join them on a park bench where they will talk. This is a daily social event for both man and bird. Shortly, the old man will rise, carefully raise his cage and continue his stroll.

It’s 7 a.m. and more friends and their birds await on the tree-lined terrace amid the “shadow boxers,” the ubiquitous tai chi exercisers.

Behind the old man, a young man in jogging suit, carries two white draped cages— one perched on his shoulder, the other carefully balanced on one palm like a waiter carrying a tray.

He removes the covers and hangs each cage from a branch of a tree, then begins his stretching. The little warblers serenade each other, joining the caroling, squawking and chirping that fills the park.

The men (women reportedly walk their birds later in the day) are observing an ancient Chinese ritual dating back centuries to the Imperial Qing dynasty of the Manchus.

When these nomads broke through the Great Wall in 1644 and conquered Beijing, they introduced the art of bird raising.


A Privileged Elite

The conquerors became privileged elite, favored for life by the emperor with an imperial living allowance, which freed them from the drudgery of working for a living.

They spent their idle time in tea houses, gossiping, listening to storytellers and discussing the intricacies of feeding and raising birds.

Ancient cartoons captured these idle rich fanning themselves with one hand, while holding a bird cage in the other.

In 1911, the former noble loafers, lacking work skills, were forced into the common market— street vendors, porters, rag collectors— but their fanatic devotion to birds survived to this day.

Such devotion has spawned a street devoted exclusively to the selling of birds and their accouterments.

The hobby has also given rise to restaurants that cater to these fanciers, supplying them with bamboo poles on which to hang their cages while they eat and socialize.

However, it’s not all fun and games. Bird raising is a time-consuming and exacting hobby. The feathered creatures must be bathed and the white sand at the bottom of the cage (newspapers are forbidden) changed daily.

Strict Etiquette

Even walking adheres to a strict etiquette. Cages are draped with starched white-cotton covers to protect its occupants from traffic noises and passers-by, and, allegedly, to ward off cockroaches and mosquitoes.

A chick has to be swung gently to strengthen its wings and so it can adapt to its new environment. Adult songbirds, on the other hand, need less walking, but require dialogue with others to increase their tonal range. The best have been known to mimic as many as seven voices.

Toward this end, following the outing, somewhere between 7 and 8 a.m., bird lovers with their cages rendezvous daily for morning tea at one of many “bird restaurants” to compare pets and argue the finer points of care and feeding.

Cage-Carriers Congregate

For half a century, the most popular meeting place for this ritual has been the top floor of Wan Loi restaurant, 484 Shanghai St., where hundreds of cage-carriers have been known to congregate, particularly on Sundays and holidays.

There’s a restaurant for dim sum and strong Chinese tea on the ground and first floors. Exotic odors waft from large wooden boxes of herbs and spices at the entrance.

On another floor, the top of a wide, curving staircase opens onto a large room of tumultuous squawking and chirping and a frenzy of fluttering wings from cages of birds perched on tables, suspended from poles and set before open windows.

Regulars arrive when the restaurant opens at 5:30 a.m. to reserve a spot at the window. By 7 a.m., the room is bustling.

Up and Down the Aisles

Some owners walk cages up and down the aisles so their birds can converse or eavesdrop on their chums to pick up a chirp or two; others sit at tables with cages open, drinking tea and stroking their pets.

By 9 a.m. the room has emptied as executives in suits rush off to offices and the retired elders return home to feed and bathe their companions. A fancier may own as many as five birds, which are rotated, usually by twos, for outings.

It’s an expensive hobby--birds reportedly costing $30 and up, plus accessories that raise the ante even more.

The shopping mall for birds and supplies is Hong Lok Street, alias “Bird Street,” in Mongkok, near the junction of Argyle and Shanghai streets, just off Nathan Road, Kowloon’s main shopping avenue.

This narrow-canopied alley, reserved for foot traffic only, features a maze of accessories and birds in all colors and sizes, from tiny sparrows to large, colorful parrots. Many of the birds come from China and southeast Asia. Life expectancy is about 10 years.

Song-less Females

Most highly prized are the song birds, including the seung see (a miniature canary with yellow/green plumage), the wah mei (brown thrush with a white streak over the eyes), crimson cockatoos and gray finches.

In China, he who mistakenly buys a female thrush chick loses face. In maturity it’s the males who sing; the females remain songless.

When a sale is completed, after lively bargaining with onlookers joining in, the new owner departs, adopting the prescribed protocol of newly purchased bird handling.

Cages are carried at head or chest level for maximum display of the new purchase and to safeguard the serenity of the bird en route home.

Cages range in price and degree of artistry from an inexpensive mock bamboo of reddish brown plastic to a carved, polished and stained bamboo that can cost more than $60.

Cage Accouterments

Ivory carving for cage accouterments is an honored profession perpetuated in families from one generation to the next.

Cages are usually outfitted with four small bowls— two for grains or seeds and morsels of fruits and vegetables, and two for water.

A delicate vase is often placed inside for decoration. Many hobbyists even theorize that each species has a preference in cages.

But the birds have a food preference. Their favorite delicacy, live grasshoppers, is imported from China with special dispensation from the customs department and eaten at a rate of three to 50 daily per bird.

Grasshoppers vary in price according to season (winter higher than summer). You also can buy a cage to house the grasshoppers to ensure a steady, fresh supply. A bird’s diet is given serious consideration--special balance of seed, fruits, vegetables and live fare, carbohydrates and vitamins.

Nothing Is Too Good

In other stalls, worms slither in open containers and cicadas and crickets click and hop in display cages— for a sometimes steep price.

But pay it they do; nothing is too good for the birds: Complex sliding doors for cages, elaborately carved ivory perches and ornate cloisonne or blue-and-white ceramic water bowls resembling ancient porcelain vases.

An old Chinese saying alleges that he who keeps a contented bird in his house brings in nature and relaxes the mind. — J. Florman, 1988

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Pet Etiquette, aka “Petiquette”

If you find your dog’s barking or your cat’s scratching objectionable, decide what you are going to do and do it every single time your pet misbehaves. If you are conscientious, your pet will be better behaved within about three weeks. If you waver, the process will take much longer.

Pet’s Bad Manners Are Owner’s Fault

The hustle and bustle of the holidays may bring out your cat’s or dog’s worst manners, but you can correct your pet’s etiquette. Your pet’s bad manners are partly your fault, according to an article in “Country Living,” because you didn’t nip bad behavior in the bud. Make a resolution to use behavior modification techniques to improve your pet’s manners. The key is consistency. If you find your dog’s barking or your cat’s scratching objectionable, decide what you are going to do and do it every single time your pet misbehaves. If you are conscientious, your pet will be better behaved within about three weeks. If you waver, the process will take much longer.

Here are some specific suggestions: 

• Barking – The best way to teach a dog to be quiet is to train him to bark on command. When he barks, use a command such as “Speak,” and praise him. Once he connects “Speak” with barking, introduce the command “Quiet.” If necessary, hold his muzzle shut the first few times you issue the command. Reward him for being quiet. Practice these commands at times when your pet wouldn’t ordinarily bark. Then start using them when someone is at the door. 
• Incessant Barking – When you are away, incessant barking is harder to control. A companion animal or leaving the radio on may help. If he starts barking soon after you leave, you can return and scold him or invest in a sound activated tape of a one-minute scolding whenever the dog starts to bark. 
• Jumping – If you don’t want your pet to jump on guests, you must teach him not to jump on anyone, including you, tell him “No” sharply, if he doesn’t respond, hold his front feet and bring your knee to his chest, forcefully but not brutally. An alternative is to teach him to “Sit” and “Stay” and use those commands when someone arrives at the door. 
• Cat Nipping and Scratching – If the cat attacks because it is afraid, physical discipline won't work. Instead, hold the cat while you greet strangers, have them approach it gently and tell them how it likes to be stroked. The alternative is to shut it in a room where it feels safe. If the cat attacks guests to defend its territory, the best response is a squirt of water from an atomizer. 
• Relentless Meowing – You may have inadvertently trained your cat by offering it food when it meows. To decondition it, set up a strict feeding schedule with no between meal snacks. If boredom is the cause, create a quick diversion by pulling out a Ping Pong ball, hanging a wad of crumpled tissue from a string, opening a closet or leaving an empty bag on the floor. – Associated Press, 1986

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Etiquette for Dog Owners

A reminder to the dog owner who doesn't think enough of his pet to train it properly, that he’d better keep the little chap on his own premises (or car, as the case maybe) until he can teach him sidewalk decorum.

Dog Petiquette

In Denver, Colorado, a grocer, who knows both dogs and human beings, installed hitching posts for dogs outside his store. He put leashes on the posts long enough so the dogs were comfortably tethered, but short enough so they couldn't get near enough to each other to scrap. And he put locks on the leashes, so that fine breeds, as well as mutts, would be safe while their owners shopped. That grocer must have pleased many citizens who owned dogs and a great many more who didn’t. For however much we love our dogs, they don't belong in grocery stores, nuzzling the fruits and vegetables and shedding hair indiscriminately, however unintentionally. 

In New York, and unfortunately in only a very few other cities, street signs warn strollers, “Curb Your Dog.” It is a reminder to the owner who doesn't think enough of his pet to train it properly that he’d better keep the little chap on his own premises until he can teach him sidewalk decorum. A cleaner, pleasanter community might result locally if such hints were to be taken seriously here. And if organizations in putting our best foot forward both for the benefit of local folk and for visitors among us, don’t push the idea as a good one, we'd be surprised. – Sausalito News, 1941

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

Gilded Age Etiquette and Society Sheep

More popular than the pug, the pampered embryo sovereigns of Ohio tariff ideas, gambol according to Fifth Avenue etiquette.  

Lambs in Society —

They Have Become Creatures of Luxury and Are Forcing Out the Pug Dog! 

The lamb has become a feature of New York society. Not that sort which frequents the misnamed club. Not the variety whose fleece is invitingly extended near the stage doors of theaters for harmless little girls with the downcast eyes to pluck. This is the real lamb, whose name has been forever linked with that of Mary by the pastoral poet, says the New York Journal.

If you come to take an early morning constitutional on Fifth Avenue any pleasant day, proof of the lamb craze can be seen. White as snow, with collars adorned with tinkling bells, led by silver chains, generally in the hands of pretty French maids, the pampered embryo sovereigns of Ohio tariff ideas, gambol according to Fifth Avenue etiquette. 

In one of Fifth Avenue's aristocratic apartment-houses is a lamb that has a maid all to itself. No pugdog was ever reared in greater luxury. The mysteries of its toilet are numerous. Nothing, in the estimation of its mistress, is too good or expensive for this lamb. The brush and comb used in the daily toilet are silver-mounted, and when the lamb takes its meals they are served in sterling silver bowls. 

The daily menu consists of milk and a preparation of cooked Indian meal, sometimes varied by oatmeal. At night the lamb sleeps in a basket lined with silk and cotton, at the foot of its mistress' bed. The mistress claims that her pet is much more intelligent than any dog, and far preferable to a cat as a pet. If this modern Bopeep should suffer the loss of her protege the whole police force of New York would be asked to rally to the rescue.— San Francisco Call, 1896

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia