Somehow, one never thinks of a tiny breed of dog being surrendered to a humane society. But they're there, along with the larger breeds, of all ages. Not in the same numbers, but very small dogs are also abandoned by their owners. And often they, just like their larger counterparts, have been abused before being abandoned.

The little fellow we sometimes come across in the ravine, was obviously badly abused. Your first reaction on seeing such a small dog with such a beautiful conformation is admiration. And then surprise, when the little thing reacts on seeing you or anyone else he's not familiar with. He goes instantly into attack mode, and begins barking, running back and forth from the object of his hostility - another dog, a man or a woman unfamiliar to him, barking incessantly, hair standing up at the back of its neck, having identified an enemy, a potential threat.

So he was abused, and you think, who would be brutal to such a small creature?

It's strange in that when he's out as we've seen him occasionally with a young man in his late teens, he seems more nervous, uncertain, and prone to overt hostility. When he's out with the young man's father, he is often kept on leash and the little dog doesn't tend to bark, although he is careful to remain physically remote from anyone other than his benefactor.

The people who now share their home with the little dog had just lost their elderly golden retriever. Because the man suffers from arthritis they decided that though they wanted another dog, it would have to be one he could easily handle, a small dog. They saw an advertisement in the newspaper by the Gatineau Humane Society for that little dog, and telephoned, feeling that surely he would have been claimed already, but he was still there, they were assured.

They drove right over and brought that little fellow who was named Taz, into their home and their lives where he is valued and taken very good care of. Taz may be hostile toward people he doesn't know, equating them somehow with the ill treatment he received before he was taken to the Humane Society, but he appreciates the emotional warmth emanating from the people with whom he now lives.

And that appreciation is bestowed in turn upon him in acknowledgement of how his presence in the lives of those people with whom he now lives feel he complements their lives, increasing its quality and offering them the opportunity to enjoy an extended companionship with a trusting pet.