NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1190, 21 December 1894, Page 26

NOTES.

By Fancier.

A well-known local fancier and a member of the committee of the Wellington Kennel Club, namely, Mr R. H. Wilson, is about to leave Wellington to take up a farm at Urenui, Taranaki. Mr Wilson a few years ago imported several black field spaniels, some of which lie is taking up to Urenui with him. His many friends, those among the fancy and Others, will wish him every success in his new sphere of life. Although Mr Wilson will now be a farmer, I understand that he will continue breeding and selling black field spaniels' as heretofore.

A suggestion has been made by “ Terror " in the Otago Witness, that Mr Rae should be asked to judge right through the Colony, commencing at Dunedin and immediately afterwards at Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. “ Terror" expresses a hope that “ Fancier" and others will help to bring about this big order. Now I quite agree with Terror" that it would be a good thing to get Mr Rae to judge at our shows, but not all in the one trip. For instance if he began at Dunedin and was to judge at Christchurch the following week, both those shows would lose a considerable number of entries. I think it extremely probable that Mr Rae will be asked to judge the next Wellington Show, • and as he let the Wellington Kennel Club into a hole by not coming as agreed to judge at the show last November, I think he will be pretty sure to offer that club his first services in this Colony for next year.

The question of having one judge to go through the whole Colony has been argued very often. The general opinion seems to be in favour of the view that such a course would be undesirable.

A suggestion has been made that the Wellington A. and P. Association, Wellington Poultry Society, Wellington Horticultural Society, Wellington Kennel Club, Wellington Art Club and Wellington Camera Club should amalgamate and hold one big united show amnually, instead of each club and society holding a lot of separate small shows as at present. lam afraid the suggestion is too big to be carried out, though a show such would be produced would be very interesting.

“ While on the subject of prizes," writes “ Terror ” in the Otago Witness, “ I might say I should like to see both Christchurch and Wellington do away with a most objectionable system—viz., in cases where there is a special prize given of the value of LI withhold the society’s prize. * Subscribers of special prizes do not give them in place of the society’s prize* but in addition for a special purpose.' I object most strongly to this, and the sooner the system is done away with the better.' The Dunedin Club pays both, I am very pleased to say, as several fanciers in the north know. I feel sure exhibitors will assist in bringing about this reform." In Wellington tradesmen and others give special prizes to take the place of the club’s prizes. If the club were to give its own as well as the special prizes, I am , afraid it would soon be a defunct club.

If there is one thing above another that a sportsman insists upon it is that his dogs should be “hard," for a “ soft" dog is about as useless as a cracked gun. This quality is looked for in every branch of sport in which dogs are used, and unhappy indeed is the sportsman who find', bis dogs lacking when required for use. Now the term hardening must not be mistaken for neglecting, and that is why we have gone put of our way to call attention to the condition in which every really sound sporting dog is kept. Everyone knows the amount of attenton bestowed upon hounds, pointers, setters, and dogs of that class, yet what would one say to the huntsman or keeper who kept his charges before a large fire and refused to let them go out except in warm, sunny weather ? This, unfortunately, is exactly what many of our readers are doing, and we can but warn them of the harm which must follow. Why, we have come across large heavily coated dogs which have been coddled like the veriest lap dogs, and so softened that they could not stand a fair shower of rain. We need hardly say that the ladies are the worst offenders, yet we have been assured by breeders of prize toys that the coddling these mites too commonly receive is quite unnecessary, and really does far more harm than good. If we are to believe the Sun the evil we write against is actually on the increase, for according to that paper the toy dogs of Paris are now provided with tiny boots to protect them against the danger of damp feet. Puss in boots we have already heard of, but that dogs are about to follow suit we trust is a mistake. No, let us all take every care of our canine favourites, and protect them as much as lies in our power from every ill, yet let us draw the line at softening if we. are to enjoy the pleasure of dog-keeping.— Yorkshire Post.

Nothing can be more objectionable than to own a dog that is a coward. How often one feels ashamed of owning a dog which slinks away from every dog one meets in the street. A correspondent of the Yorkshire Post writes to that paper as follows :—“ I am in a bit of trouble about my Bedlington and I should like you to help me if you can. He is now 16 months, old, but shows no pluck against other dogs, As I 91191 tpld you, he has beea

bullied by a big butcher’s dog, and this seems to have affected him in regard to other big dogs. What is worse, all the big dogs about here seem to understand it, atid never miss an opportunity of chasing him. So bad have matters become that whenever he. sees a big dog down goes liis tail and he begins to look out for getting past liis imaginary foe. It is getting very unpleasant to take him about with me. What had I better do ? Is it any good to take him about and let him look after himself, or take care of him till he is a little bit older ? I have thought to send him for a few weeks to a gamekeeper. He is brave and dashing enough in every other respect, but at large dogs he is a perfect coward. He is a very sensitive dog, never requiring more than a word to correct him. He is of a show bench strain, but I am told that his father was fit for anything. His mother was very shy until she was turned two years old, and then proved a very demon at cats. Of course he is brought up in the house and made a good deal of, but I have never known that spoil a really good dog. I once had an Airedale that would net tackle a rat until two years old ; yet after that age he turned out to be a fair d *-l, and had to be shot for his ferocity."

The * Yorkshire Post Kennel Editor comments on the above as follows : —Our correspondent has himself hit on the very remedy we were about to suggest. Nothing would be as likely to turn the terrier’s weakness as' being constantly among a number of large dogs, and if his master could arrange for him to take his exercise for a couple of weeks with a pack of hounds or a number of sporting dogs, we believe all would soon be well. Strangely enough we have at present a dog in our kennels which not long ago was extremely shy with large dogs; yet he has now almost entirely got over his weakness.