这是一篇辩护词。 事情发生在一八七零年的美国密苏里州的沃伦斯堡。波登与杭斯贝两位先生是邻居又是朋友。一天晚上，波登养的一只名叫"老鼓"的狗跑到隔壁杭斯贝家的后院中，不幸被杭斯贝开枪打死，波登悲愤难平，提起控告。这桩狗的官司由地方法院一直打到了最高法院。终审时，参议员佛斯特代表波登向陪审团朗诵了一篇名为《狗的礼赞》的辩护词。陪审团的法官们被这篇千古难寻的奇文深深地感动，最终宣判波登胜诉，以被告赔偿500美元（当时的500美元相当于目前的5000美元）而结案。

中文学名：狗

界：动物界

门：脊索动物门

亚门：脊索动物亚门

纲：哺乳纲

目：食肉目

科：犬科

Eulogy of The Dog

狗的礼赞

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Eulogy of The Dog

– George Graham Vest in 1870 at the old courthouse in Warrensburg, MO during a trial about the shooting of a farmer’s dog named "Old Drum" by a neighbor.

Gentlemen of the jury, the best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter whom he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us---those who we trust with our happiness and our good name---may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its clouds upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world---the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous---is his dog.

Gentlemen of the jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friend less and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace, and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his grave side will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death.

狗的礼赞

各位陪审官：在这个世界上，一个人的好友可能和他作对，变成敌人；他用慈爱培养起来的儿女也可能变得忤逆不孝；那些我们最感密切和亲近的人，那些我们用全部幸福和名誉所痴信的人，都可能会舍弃忠诚而成叛逆。一个人所拥有的金钱可能失去，很可能在最需要的时候它却插翅飞走；一个人的声誉可能断送在考虑欠周的一瞬间。那些惯会在我们成功时来屈膝奉承的人，很可能就是当失败的阴云笼罩在我们头上时投掷第一块阴险恶毒之石的人。在这个自私的世界上，一个人唯一毫不自私的朋友，唯一不抛弃他的朋友，唯一不忘恩负义的朋友，就是他的狗。

各位陪审官：不问主人是穷困或腾达，健康或病弱，狗都会守在主人的身旁。只要能靠近主人，不管地面冰凉坚硬，寒风凛冽，大雪纷飞，它会全然不顾地躺在主人身边。哪怕主人无食喂养，它仍会舐主人的手和主人手上因抵御这个冷酷的世界而受的创伤。纵然主人是乞丐，它也象守护王子一样伴随着他。当他所有的朋友都掉头而去，它却义无反顾。当财富消失，声誉扫地时，它对主人的爱依如天空运行不息的太阳一样永恒不变。假若因命运的捉弄，它的主人变成一个无家可归的流浪者，这只忠诚的狗只求陪伴主人，有难同当，对抗敌人，此外毫无奢求。当万物共同的结局来临，死神夺去了主人的生命，尸体埋葬在寒冷的地下时，纵使所有的亲友都各奔前程，而这只高贵的狗却会独自守卫在墓旁。它仰首于两足之间，眼睛里虽然充满悲伤，却仍机警地守护墓地，忠贞不渝，直到死亡。

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由于此案在当时引起了轰动，影响面很广，而成为世界著名的法律案件。同样，佛斯特的这篇《狗的礼赞》，把犬对主人最朴素、最纯真、最珍贵的感情表达得淋漓尽致，感人肺腑，因而以其强烈的感染力成为全球养狗爱好者喜爱的经典篇章，倍受推崇，万人争颂，其影响力至今不衰。当地还把此文刻在了为"老鼓"建立的纪念碑上，闻名于世。