I was bitten severely by a little dog when with my mother at Moffat Wells, being then three years of age, and I have remained "bitten" ever since in the matter of dogs. I remember that little dog... and were I allowed to search among the shades in the cynic Elysian fields, I could pick her out still. -from "Our Dogs" The 1858 short story "Rab and His Friends"-based on a true incident about a gray mastiff, Rab, and his relationship with an Edinburgh doctor and one of the doctor's patients-is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian melodrama. It is also beautifully portrays the extraordinary insight author John Brown had into the canine temperament; it and other essays included here on Brown's life with the faithful animals will enchant dog lovers. Also featured in this volume: Brown's renowned 1863 sketch, "Marjorie Fleming." Scottish physician and writer John Brown (1810-1882) is best known for his two volumes of essays, Horae Subsecivae (Leisure Hours) (1858, 1861).