The Bitch and her Friend by Jean de La Fontaine

A bitch nearing the time to give birth asks a female friend for shelter, explaining her condition, and is allowed into the friend’s hut. When the owner later returns to reclaim her home, the bitch humbly requests another fortnight because her pups are still too young to walk. The friend agrees. At the end of this second period, however, the bitch refuses to leave meekly: backed by her now fierce and strong litter, she declares that she will go only when the owner can force her out. The fable warns that a villain who borrows becomes difficult to dislodge, repaying a creditor with trouble rather than money; once admitted even one step into a house, such a person will press farther in.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Moral Literature, Didactic Poetry · 303 words

First lines

A bitch, that felt her time approaching, / And had no place for parturition, / Went to a female friend, and, broaching / Her delicate condition, / Got leave herself to shut / Within the other's hut. / At proper time the lender came / Her little premises to claim. / The bitch crawl'd meekly to the door, / And humbly begg'd a fortnight more. / Her little pups, she said, could hardly walk. / In short, the lender yielded to her talk. / The second term expired; the friend had come / To take possession of her house and home. / The bitch, this time, as if she would have bit her, / Replied, 'I'm ready, madam, with my litter, / To go when you can turn me out. ' / Her pups, you see, were fierce and stout.

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Similar titles

• The Bat And The Two Weasels by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Eagle And The Beetle by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Two Mules by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Raven And The Fox by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Members And The Belly by Jean De La Fontaine
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Genres

• Fable — The work is a brief animal tale that uses speaking, human-like dogs to convey a clear practical moral about lending, trust, and exploitative debtors.
• Moral Literature — Its concluding verses explicitly state the lesson: those who lend to dishonest people will face trouble recovering what is theirs.
• Didactic Poetry — Written in verse, the poem is designed not merely to entertain but to instruct readers through an illustrative anecdote and direct admonition.
• Animal Allegory — The bitch, her friend, and the pups function as animal figures representing human tenants, borrowers, creditors, and coercive opportunists.

Tags

French fable · seventeenth-century literature · verse narrative · animal allegory · moral tale · domestic dispute · borrowed shelter · hospitality abused · debt and creditors · property rights · eviction · deception

What this Textopian page supports

The Bitch and her Friend is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Moral Literature, Didactic Poetry, Animal Allegory, Satire
• Length: 303 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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• Work identity for The Bitch and her Friend by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine