The Bear and the Dog

Once upon a time, there lived a man and his wife. They had a loyal dog. From its youth, it had guarded their home, but as it grew old, it stopped barking.

The man grew tired of the dog. So he took a rope, tied it around the dog's neck, and led it into the forest. He brought it to an aspen tree and was about to strangle it, but when he saw the old dog shedding bitter tears, he felt pity.

The man let the dog go and went back home. The dog remained in the forest. It lay under a tree, hungry and cursing its fate as a dog.

Suddenly, a bear came along:
- "Why are you lying here, dog?"
- "My master drove me away."
- "Are you hungry, dog?"
- "Very much so!"
- "Well, come with me, I'll feed you."

So they went together. Along the way, they encountered a stallion. The bear grabbed the stallion. The stallion fell. The bear tore it apart and said to the dog:
- "Here, eat as much as you want, and when you're done, come to me."
The dog lived happily, without a care. But when it had eaten everything and got hungry again, it ran to the bear.
- "Well, brother, did you eat the stallion?"
- "Yes, but now I'm hungry again."
- "Why go hungry! Do you know where your women are harvesting?"
- "Yes!"
- "Then let's go. I'll sneak up to your mistress and grab her child, and you chase me and take it back. When you take it, bring it to her. She'll start feeding you like before."

So the bear ran to the field where the women were harvesting and snatched the child. The child cried out, the women chased after the bear, but they couldn't catch it and eventually gave up. The mother wept, and the women grieved.

Out of nowhere, the dog ran up, caught the bear, took the child, and carried it back.
- "Look," the women said, "the dog has taken the child back!"
The mother was overjoyed.
- "Now," she said, "I will never abandon this dog!"
She brought the dog home, poured it some milk, and crumbled some bread:
- "Here, eat!"
And she said to her husband:
- "Husband, we must take care of this dog and feed it well: it saved our child from the bear."
The dog recovered, grew fat, and lived happily ever after. It became the bear's best friend.

One day, the man had a party. At that time, the bear came to visit the dog.
- "Hello, dog! How are you—eating well?"
- "Thank God," replied the dog, "life is a feast! What can I treat you with? Let's go inside. The hosts are merry and won't notice. Just go in and quickly hide under the stove. Whatever I can get, I'll treat you with."

So the bear sneaked into the house and hid under the stove. The dog saw that the guests and hosts were quite merry—so it started stealing from the table to feed its friend. The bear drank one glass, then another—and got carried away. The guests started singing songs. And the bear began to sing its own song.

The dog tried to persuade it:
- "Don't sing, or there'll be trouble."

But no! The bear wouldn't quiet down and only sang louder. The guests heard the howling under the stove, grabbed sticks, and started beating the bear. The bear barely managed to escape and ran away. That's what happens when you go visiting!

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The Bear and the Dog

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