THE KENNEL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1188, 7 December 1894, Page 27

THE KENNEL.

NOTICE. OFFICIAL CALENDAR. The New Zealand Mail has been Appointed the Official Organ of the Wellington Kennel Club and all Official Notices vnll be inserted therein from this date. A. W. J. COOK, Hon. Secretary. August 20, 1894. .Stud Visits and Whelpinga will be inserted under oho Kennel Notes in the New Zealand Mail for ONE SHILLING each insertion. For Sale advertisements, &c., not exceeding six lines, 2s each Insertion. , ... The Kennel Editor will be pleased to answer, through this column, any question as to canine diseases, or disorders, or any inquiries ou matters generally dealing with dogs. . , „ Items of general interest to dog fanciers will at all times be acceptable, and our readers are invited to forward any information to the Kennel Editor, New Zealand Mail,

NOTES.

By Fancier.

A meeting of the committee of the Wellington liennel Club was to have been held last Monday, but owing to the present being such a busy time of the year for most of the members, the meeting lapsed, consequently the arrangement for paying out of prize money, etc., has been held over. This may be taken as another argument in favour of holding the show earlier in the year, because the members of tlie committee have then more time to give up to meetings.

I hear that Mr H. Didsbury’s Irish terrier bitch has just whelped another litter, consisting of five dogs and one bitch. One of the last litter took first prize at the last Christchurch dog show. Mr Didsbuvy will.no doubt have a ready sale hr the present lot.

Statistics are not generally looked on as being interesting, but I cannot refrain from quoting a feW figures from three catalogues which I have before me. These figures tend' to show how much the Wellington - Kennel Club have to be congratulated on the number of entries they had for their last show. For the 1892 show (entrance fee 3s) they had one hundred and ninety-eight entries. At the 1898 show (entrance fee 3s) the entries numbered two hundred and forty-two, Whilst at the last (the 1894) show (entrance fee ss) the entries totalled two hundred and thirty-fcttr.- v'f 5 -; •

I hav6 to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of the second issue of the New Zealand Fancier, a paper which is printed in Nelson in the interests of poultry, pigeon and dog fanciers. The principal items of interest among the dog columns are reports of the Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington dog shows. A meeting of the committee of the Wellington Kennel Club is to be held this (Friday) evening, when amongst other business, it is understood, a peculiar point about the ownership of a dog will be discussed. As the point raised is of great interest to breeders, it is to be hoped that the committee will allow their proceedings to be made publici This, I understand, is the position of the matter: —An owner sold his dog, say, last June, but with a proviso that the dog was to be shown at the Wellington dog show in the original owner’s name; in fact, the dog was to be the property of the original owner till after the said dog show. The purchaser took delivery of the dog last June, and gave it up for the show as arranged. The original owner entered the dog in his own name. The rules provide that every dog entered shall be bona fide the property of th-Aperson who makes the entry. Now this, I take' it, is the chief point in the present case ; does the fact- that the purchaser took delivery of tlie dog some months before the show make him the owner, for a "dog (unless owned by a firm) can only have but one owner. Now if the purchaser by taking such delivery becomes the owner, clearly the original owner cannot enter the dog as being bona fide his own property. It has been said that it is quite a common thing for owners of large kennels to sell dogs with the stipulation that they are to be returned to the original owner for some show which is arranged.

Some few weeks ago, says an English papei", we mentioned the collie that was employed at the Agricultural Hall as an Eirmy scout. Unfortunately the value of dogs in this capacity is as yet unacknowledged by oUr army authorities; abroad, however-, their position is a high one. Dogs are carefhliy trained by many foreign powers to act as messengers on the battlefield, and at many shows classes are provided and test trials held for these war dogs. At Grata the trials of this character proved a great success, and the dogs, as far as work was concerned, were much admired. A great amount of interest was taken in the event, and the way in which the dogs proved how useful they could make themselves in carrying communications from the battlefield to the rear delighted the large gathering of spectators. It was, perhaps, a trifle disappointing from the fanciers’ point of view to find that with one exception the dogs belonged entirely to the mongrel class; the “ exception /'however, a really smart Airedale terrier, proved that well-bred dogs might just as well be used.