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Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)

409. THE CIRCUS DOG AND THE STREET DOGS
Perry 329 (Chambry 179 *)

A dog who was being trained to fight in the public games snapped the collar around his neck and went dashing through the streets. The street dogs could tell that this fellow had been living the good life since he was as stout as a bull, so they asked him why he was running away. The runaway replied, 'It's true that I have been enjoying an abundance of food and living a comfortable life, but I am also forced to fight with lions and bears, risking my life in the arena.' The other dogs then said to one another, 'Our poor life must be very fine, because we don't have to fight with lions and bears!'


Source: Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura Gibbs. Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.