SPEED OF DOGS

Evening Star, Issue 19519, 29 March 1927, Page 8

SPEED OF DOGS

* GREYHOUND’S 35| MILES AN HOUR. "WHIPPET THE NEXT FASTEST. The question of tho speed of dogs has been raised by a motorist, who states that recently, while lie was motoring, with his speedometer registering twentysix miles an hour, a terrier in the road ran as last for nearly half a mile. “ This is a very remarkable speed for any kind of terrier, especially on a half-mile run,” said Mr A. Croxton Smith, a member of tho committee of the Kennel Club, London. “ Our fastest dog is the greyhound. It appears to save a slight advantage over tho whippet. I have a record of a greyhound running a quarter of a mile ill 25 2-ssce. A first-class sprinting whippet will cover 200 yards in about 12sec.” Working out these speeds, they give a rate of:—Greyhound, about 35J miles an hour; whippet, a little more than 34 miles an hour.

FOXHOUNDS 31 MILES PER HOUR, Mr Croxton Smith added: — “Of the borzois, a fast dog no doubt, we have no data, but there -s a record of a match between racehorses and foxhounds over tho Beacon Course on Newmarket Heath, which took place, I believe, towards the end of the eighteenth century, by which to judge the speed of the foxhounds, i-t any rate as they then were. “ Tho course was four miles, one furlong, 132 yards in length. Tho winninn hound took eight minutes and a few seconds, and of the sixty horses that started only twelve were able to run in with the hounds. Tho speed of the winning hound would bo about thirty-one miles an hour. “The racehorse Flying Childers had done the same course in 7.30, or about half a minute faster than the hound. “Most of my sporting friends consider that the cheetah, as used in India bv the native princes to hunt the black buck is the fastest animal living over a distance of 200 yards. The cheetah is released at its quarry when tho latter is within striking distance, and goes like a streak of lightning.

The aviator was explaining Lie use of the parachute to a'group of listeners. “ And what would happen if the parachute failed to open alter you jumped off?” asked one. “Oh, that wouldnt stop mcl” replied tho aviator. Id como clown just tho same. Teddy was struggling a new word in his reading lesson. “ Spell the word,” said his teacher. “S-n-a-i-l. “Yes that’s snail. You l-rnow what a snail is, don’t you?” “Of course. One passed me. mi my way .to. school this morning”