本文的背景故事發生在1870年的美國密蘇里州的沃倫斯堡。波登與杭斯貝兩位先生是鄰居又是朋友。一天晚上，波登養的一隻名叫"老鼓"的狗跑到隔壁杭斯貝家的後院中，不幸被杭斯貝開槍打死，波登悲憤難平，提起控告。這樁狗的官司由地方法院一直打到了最高法院。終審時，參議員佛斯特代表波登向陪審團朗誦了一篇名為《狗的禮讚》的辯護詞。陪審團被這篇千古難尋的奇文深深地感動，最終宣判波登勝訴，以被告賠償500美元（當時的500美元相當於目前的5000美元）而結案。
譯文如下：
各位陪審官，在這個世界上，一個人的好友可能和他作對，變成敵人；他用慈愛培養起來的兒女也可能變得忤逆不孝；那些我們最感密切和親近的人，那些我們用全部幸福和名譽所痴信的人，都可能會捨棄忠誠而成叛逆。一個人所擁有的金錢可能失去，很可能在最需要的時候它卻插翅飛走；一個人的聲譽可能斷送在考慮欠周的一瞬間。那些慣會在我們成功時來屈膝奉承的人，很可能就是當失敗的陰雲籠罩在我們頭上時投擲第一塊陰險惡毒之石的人。在這個自私的世界上，一個人唯一毫不自私的朋友，唯一不拋棄他的朋友，唯一不忘恩負義的朋友，就是他的狗。
各位陪審官，不問主人是窮困或騰達，健康或病弱，狗都會守在主人的身旁。只要能靠近主人，不管地面冰涼堅硬，寒風凜冽，大雪紛飛，它會全然不顧地躺在主人身邊。哪怕主人無食餵養，它仍會舐主人的手和主人手上因抵禦這個冷酷的世界而受的創傷。縱然主人是乞丐，它也象守護王子一樣伴隨著他。當他所有的朋友都掉頭而去，它卻義無反顧。當財富消失，聲譽掃地時，它對主人的愛依如天空運行不息的太陽一樣永恆不變。假若因命運的捉弄，它的主人變成一個無家可歸的流浪者，這隻忠誠的狗只求陪伴主人，有難同當，對抗敵人，此外毫無奢求。當萬物共同的結局來臨，死神奪去了主人的生命，屍體埋葬在寒冷的地下時，縱使所有的親友都各奔前程，而這隻高貴的狗卻會獨自守衛在墓旁。它仰首於兩足之間，眼睛裡雖然充滿悲傷，卻仍機警地守護墓地，忠貞不渝，直到死亡。
英文原版：
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.
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