Animals that serve people faithfully often depend on their owners for food, shelter and protection. Yet their circumstances can change when age or weakness makes them less useful to the people they have served. In this Russian folk tale, an old dog discovers this harsh reality when his master stops feeding him and drives him away. A chance meeting with a bear gives him another opportunity to survive and eventually return home. Grateful for the kindness he receives, the dog later tries to help a cat facing a similar hardship. However, his attempt to repeat the bear’s actions leads to an unexpected and tragic outcome.
The Old Dog Leaves the Peasant’s House
Once upon a time, a peasant owned a dog that had served him faithfully for many years. The dog guarded the yard and watched over the storehouses. Whenever anything disturbed the household, he raised an alarm and helped protect his master’s property.
For a long time, the peasant valued his service. The dog had strength, energy and the alertness needed to perform his duties. His presence helped keep the household secure, and his master provided him with food and drink in return.
However, the years gradually weakened the dog. His strength declined, and he could no longer guard the yard and storehouses as effectively as he had done in his youth. He became slower and less capable of carrying out the work expected of him.
His master grew dissatisfied. Instead of remembering the years the dog had spent protecting his property, the peasant judged him by what he could still accomplish. Since the animal could no longer perform his duties as before, the man stopped giving him food and drink.
The dog soon found himself unwanted in the very household he had served. Hunger made it difficult for him to remain there, and he had no way of earning the food that had once been provided without question.
With nowhere else to turn, he left the peasant’s home and wandered into the wood. He eventually lay beneath a tree, exhausted and hungry. He believed that he would die there because he had neither food nor anyone willing to care for him.
The Bear Offers the Dog Food
While the dog rested beneath the tree, a bear came along and noticed him.
“Hello, Dog,” the bear said. “Why are you lying here?”
The dog explained his situation. He told the bear that he had left his master’s house because the peasant no longer fed him. For many years, he had guarded the household, but old age had weakened him. Now that he could no longer work as effectively as before, his master had abandoned him.
The dog explained the unfairness of his situation. People often cared for animals while they remained useful, but once age or weakness prevented them from working, they could cast them aside.
The bear listened to his story and asked whether he would like something to eat.
The dog readily accepted. He had been without food and was growing weaker, so the offer gave him hope. The bear invited him to come along and promised to feed him.
As they travelled together, they came upon a foal. The bear stopped and began scratching the ground with his paws. He then turned to the dog and asked whether his eyes were beautiful.
The dog answered that they were.
The bear continued scratching the earth. He asked whether his hair was dishevelled, and the dog agreed. Finally, the bear asked whether his tail was raised. Once again, the dog gave the answer he wanted.
Having received the expected responses, the bear seized the foal by the tail. The animal fell, and the bear killed it. He then allowed the dog to eat.
The dog accepted the food gratefully and ate until he was satisfied. For the first time since leaving the peasant’s house, he no longer had to worry about hunger. The bear had given him food when he had nowhere else to turn.
The Bear Helps the Dog Return Home
After some time, the dog returned to the bear because he had become hungry again. The bear asked whether he knew where his former mistress lived.
The dog said that he did.
The bear then suggested a plan that might help the dog regain his place in the household. He would go to the peasant’s hut and take the woman’s child from its cradle. The dog would chase after him, drive him away and bring the child safely back.
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The bear believed that this would make the household welcome the dog again. Once the family saw that he had rescued the child, they might remember his usefulness and begin caring for him.
The dog agreed to the plan.
The bear went to the hut and took the child from the cradle. The baby began to cry, alerting the woman. She rushed after the bear, but she could not catch him.
The dog then appeared and chased the bear away. He recovered the child and brought it safely back to the household.
The woman was overjoyed to see her child again. She recognised the dog as the animal that had rescued the baby and praised him for his actions.
She declared that she would never drive him away again. The household welcomed the dog, gave him milk and bread, and allowed him to eat his fill. His return marked the end of the hunger and hardship he had experienced in the wood.
The dog was pleased to have food and shelter again. He remembered the bear who had helped him when he was starving and remained grateful for his kindness. The bear had not only fed him but had also helped him regain his place in the household.
The Bear Visits the Dog at a Party
Some time later, the peasant held an evening party at his house. The bear came to visit the dog, who was now enjoying a comfortable life again.
The bear greeted his friend and asked whether he was eating well. The dog replied that he had plenty to eat. Remembering how much the bear had helped him, he invited him into the house.
The dog explained that the householders had gone out for a walk. He advised the bear to enter the living room and hide beneath the stove. He would remain nearby and call him when the time was right.
The bear accepted the invitation and went inside.
The dog hoped that his visitor could enjoy the gathering without attracting attention. However, the bear soon began drinking. He drank one glass after another, and during the visit, he broke a glass.
The guests were already in high spirits and began singing. The bear wanted to join them, but the dog warned him to remain quiet. He knew that the bear’s voice could attract unwanted attention and expose his presence.
The bear ignored the warning. Unable to restrain himself, he began singing.
The guests heard the noise and discovered him. They took up a stick and started beating the bear. The frightened animal rushed out of the house and fled.
The dog’s attempt to entertain his friend had ended badly. Although the bear had once helped him, the visit showed that kindness and friendship did not always prevent trouble when someone ignored sensible warnings.
The Cat Loses Its Home
The peasant also owned a cat. Like the dog, the cat had once served a useful purpose in the household. It caught mice and entertained the family with its tricks.
As time passed, however, the cat stopped catching mice and playing tricks. Instead, wherever it went, it broke things or spilled them. The peasant became annoyed with its behaviour and eventually chased it out of the house.
The cat now faced the same kind of hardship that the dog had experienced. It had lost its home and could no longer depend on the household for food.
The dog noticed the cat’s difficult situation. He remembered how the bear had helped him when he was hungry and decided to offer the cat similar kindness.
He began bringing the cat bread and butter in secret. Whenever he could, he shared food with it so that it would not starve.
For a while, the dog managed to help without being discovered. However, the mistress eventually caught him feeding the cat.
She became angry and beat him. She ordered him not to give the cat any beef or bread.
The dog could no longer feed the cat without risking another beating. As a result, the cat went without food for three days.
The dog knew that the cat was suffering, but he could not find a safe way to continue helping it. When he eventually went into the courtyard, he found the animal in a desperate condition.
The Dog Tries to Copy the Bear
The cat was starving. When the dog asked what was wrong, it explained that it had nothing to eat. The food the dog had secretly brought had kept it alive, but the mistress had stopped that arrangement.
The dog decided to take the cat away with him. He hoped that he could find food elsewhere and help his companion escape its hunger.
Together, they left the courtyard. As they travelled, they came upon a drove of horses.
The dog remembered how the bear had caught the foal. He recalled the bear scratching the ground and asking whether his eyes were beautiful, whether his hair was dishevelled and whether his tail was raised.
Believing that the same method would work for him, the dog decided to imitate the bear.
He began scratching the earth with his paws. Then he turned to the cat and asked whether his eyes were beautiful.
The cat answered honestly that they were not.
The dog insisted that the cat should say they were beautiful. The cat changed its answer and gave the response the dog wanted.
Next, the dog asked whether his hair was dishevelled. The cat replied that it was not. The dog again corrected it, demanding the answer he expected. The cat then agreed that his hair was dishevelled.
Finally, the dog asked whether his tail was raised. The cat said that it was not. The dog scolded it and insisted that it should say otherwise. The cat obeyed and changed its answer.
The dog believed that everything was going according to the bear’s method. Having received the answers he wanted, he made a dash towards a mare.
But the attempt did not end as he expected. The mare kicked the dog, and the blow killed him.
The Cat Says Goodbye
The cat had witnessed what happened. It stood near the dead dog and looked at him.
It then commented on the very things the dog had asked about. His eyes were red, his hair was dishevelled and his tail was raised.
The cat said goodbye to its companion. It announced that it would return home and die there.
The dog’s attempt to help the cat had ended in tragedy. He had remembered the kindness the bear showed him and wanted to pass it on, but he had failed to understand that copying the bear’s actions would not necessarily produce the same result.
The story ends with the dog dead and the cat left to face its fate alone.
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Moral Lesson
The story teaches that good intentions do not always lead to good results. The dog wanted to help the starving cat, just as the bear had helped him, but he copied the bear’s actions without understanding the circumstances that had made them successful.
It also highlights the importance of kindness and compassion. The dog received help when he was abandoned and later tried to extend that kindness to another animal. His effort was generous, even though it ended badly.
Another lesson concerns the danger of imitation without understanding. What works for one person or situation may not work for another. It is important to consider the circumstances before copying another person’s actions.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did the peasant stop feeding the old dog?
The dog had grown old and could no longer guard the yard and storehouses as effectively as before.
2. Where did the dog go after leaving the peasant’s house?
He went into the wood and lay beneath a tree, expecting to die of hunger.
3. How did the bear help the dog obtain food?
The bear killed a foal and allowed the dog to eat.
4. What plan did the bear suggest to help the dog return home?
The bear would take the peasant’s child, allowing the dog to chase him away and bring the child safely back.
5. Why did the dog begin feeding the cat secretly?
He saw that the cat had been driven out of the house and was going hungry, so he wanted to help it.
6. What happened when the dog tried to imitate the bear?
He approached a mare after asking the cat the same questions the bear had asked him. The mare kicked him, and he died.
Source
Adapted from “The Bear, the Dog and the Cat” in Russian Folk-Tales, a collection by A. N. Afanas’ev, translated from Russian by Leonard A. Magnus. The collection was first published in October 1915, with a second impression in September 1916. The story appears on pages 13–16.
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