"He is fed on nothing but raw meat," he explained, "for I want him to grow up as fierce as possible." Then the party inspected a pond in which there were "fish of such a size that it would take two men all their time to lift one of them out." This piece of information was received with renewed incredulity on the part of the brother-in-law.
"Now, Chichikov," went on Nozdrev, "let me show you a truly magnificent brace of dogs.

The hardness of their muscles will surprise you, and they have jowls as sharp as needles." So saying, he led the way to a small, but neatly-built, shed surrounded on every side with a fenced-in run.

Entering this run, the visitors beheld a number of dogs of all sorts and sizes and colours.

In their midst Nozdrev looked like a father lording it over his family circle.
Erecting their tails--their "stems," as dog fanciers call those members--the animals came bounding to greet the party, and fully a score of them laid their paws upon Chichikov's shoulders.

Indeed, one dog was moved with such friendliness that, standing on its hind legs, it licked him on the lips, and so forced him to spit.