Richard Butler, age 8, of Oromocto, N.B., for his question:

Does a dog; know right from wrong?

Your pet doggie may be very smart, as smart as any animal in the world. But he does not understand right from wrong as you do. You can, however train him to do the things you want him to do and the best way to do this is with kindness rather than with punishment. There is a very good reason for this. The dog wants above everything else to be friends with you. He loves you and he wants you to love him and be pleased with him.'

No animal understands right and wrong as human beings do. This is what makes us different from the animal world. Mother Nature whispers to the animals what is right for them to do and they obey. This is called instinct and sometimes it does not seem very right to us. For instance, a dogs instincts tell him to chase cats. He can never understand that may be unkind or unfair to hurt a cat who may be somebody else's pet. However, you may be able to train him to leave cats alone. If he learns it will be because he loves you and wants most of all to please you.