Tumbling Tommie
THE BUSY PUP
All parts of this article are made of 1/4" wood except the ears which should be 1/8" thick. Saw out one body, a pair each of fore legs, hind legs, ears and tail, and the push-rod and guide. The guide is made of four pieces and fastened together with glue and brads, as shown in the drawing. The two pairs of legs are fastened to the body by loose joints. Holes are bored thru one end of the push-rod and the forefeet; also thru the projecting end of the guide and hind feet. Fasten that end of the guide between the hind feet with loose joint ([Fig. 14]). Insert the push-rod thru the hole in the guide, which should slide easily, and fasten between the fore feet. By holding the guide in the left hand and working the push-rod back and forth, the dog should work freely and without a hitch in all the varied positions that it is possible for it to assume. With fine brad fasten the tail. Bore holes thru head and ears, and pivot them on a loose joint so that they will swing when the pup is busy scratching.
The pup may be colored white with black spots on neck, body and legs. The push-rod and guide may be finished in a dark color or black.
The stunts that this pup can perform are greater in number than one would suspect. Furthermore, they increase also in variety as the child acquires skill in manipulation.
Fig. 14.