The Faithful Dog

During its July 1872 term, the Missouri Supreme Court announced what appeared to be an innocuous opinion concerning $100. The opinion started: “Suit was brought originally before a justice of the peace for killing plaintiff’s dog, and the damages were laid at $100.” It ended 10 sentences later, with a decision for the dog’s owner. That was nearly 140 years ago, and we still talk about the case that prompted that opinion. You might recognize it as “Senator Vest’s Tribute to