THE KENNEL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22256, 8 May 1934, Page 2

THE KENNEL

By Bbeedeb. The notes appearing !n this paper every Tuesday morning under this heading are the Official Notes o£ the Otago Kennel Club. The Secretary (Whltcombe's Chambers) will be pleased to receive notes before Saturday of each week and to pass them on to "Breeder” for inclusion In The Kennel on the following Tuesday, also advertising material (For Sales, etc.) for Insertion at. the foot of the column. There was a full attendance, 14 members being present, at the last meeting of the executive of the Otago Kennel Club. The draft rules of the club wore revised for submission to the nest general meeting of the club. It was reported that satisfactory arrangements were being made in connection with the purchase of dog benches, etc., so that the executive would have everything in order for the October show, With over 30 years’ experience of breeding, showing, and judging dogs, the president, Mr W Henderson, is the right man in the right place, and as he has associated with him on the Kennel Club a large majority of the Dog Committee appearing in the fanciers’ schedule of the 1933 show, it may confidently be surmised that the Kennel Club is going to make its first show the best in Dunedin history. As a body of keen practical breeders anxious to advance the welfare of the dog and his lovers the executive of the Otago Kennel Club stands second to none. No fewer than 10 breeds are represented by members of this body and any undertaking in the dog world may be regarded as safe in its hands. Some of the members have spent more than 30 years in breeding and showing. The higher art of judging has called some to shows both in the North and South Islands and one at least has had considerable experience as a breeder and an exhibitor of dogs at Home.

For over 20 years before the formation of the Otago Kennel Club no other club had interested itself exclusively in the affairs of the dog world in Dunedin. No other dub has held ribbon parades or encouraged lectures and social meetings for those interested, in the dog. If a Kennel Club is to be of service to the fancy its first essential is the holding of ribbon parades. It is not to be wondered at, then, that the New Zealand Kennel Club’s executive has granted an affiliation to the Otago Kennel Club, I would remind exhibitors that challenge certificates are awarded by the New Zealand Kennel Club, not by any local club as has been stated elsewhere. The October show of the Otago Kennel Club will be a challenge show held under the affiliation of the New Zealand Kennel Club, and challenge certificates will be awarded.

Mr H. Ball is the proud owner of a very nice litter of Pekingese puppies, three dogs and one bitch, bred from the little bitch he brought from Auckland. Everything is going well with them. They will see the judge for the first time in October at the Otago Kennel Club’s show.

Mr M. Austin paid a visit to Wellington last week to see his pair of Borzois which have just arrived from England and are at present in quarantine. The dogs landed in beautiful condition, having been well looked after by the wireless operator on tho trip out. I saw several photographs of the pair that were taken at the quarantine station, and these show that the dogs certainly stood the voyage well. Mr J. Dick, of Dunedin, is getting together quite a nice kennel of St. Bernards. He has just added another four months’ old dog puppy to his team. This puppy is a rough coated specimen bred by Mr D. Davies, of Melbourne, and is by the imported dog Alpine Abbot ex Beldam Sly Girl, also an English importation. It is pleasing to see these fine dogs coming to the fore again. Mr Dick has now three St. Bernards in his kennels. These dogs will be benched at the Otago Kennel Club’s show in October next, when they should create a great deal of interest. Mrs J. M'Culloch, of Sydney, has forwarded to Mr L. Smyth, of this city, her most successful cocker brood bitch to be mated to Church Leigh Druson (imp.). This lady breeder is the most successful breeder and exhibitor in New South Wales, and at the recent Sydney Royal Show was ■ successful in downing the two New Zealand-bred bitches in the brace class —ch. Renwick Gleam of Penscroft and Moonyeen of Penscroft. An event of unusual interest to dog fanciers took place in Wellington last week when Mr. W. T. Barton’s imported Great Dane bitch, Reverie of Trothy, whelped 12 puppies to her kennel mate Samson of Ouborough. These two dogs, which are the only pure bred Danes in New Zealand, were both imported from England. Fanciers wil' wish Mr Barton the best of luck with the new arrivals, all of which are doing well. Six of the puppies are being reared by an Alsatian which is said to be an ideal foster mother.

Miss M. Mowatt received this week from Melbourne a very promising black curly coated retriever dog pup from the kennels of Mr J. H. Tate. This pup is by eh. Nigger ex Black Opal. Nigger has had a great show career, having won at the Sydney Royal Show on five occasions. The dam, Black Opal, has been kept as a brood bitch, and has bred a number of good ones. It is pleasing to see these fine dogs again making their way to our show benches. We have seen no good ones since Mr J, J. Ward, of Invercargill, went out of the game a number of years ago. Mrs G. H. Donaldson, of Oamaru, reports that her fine rough coated collie bitch Judith of Selkirk, has whelped a nice litter of four dogs and three bitches to Mrs H, Leekie’s Rajah of Lochiel, one of the dogs being a Blue Merle. Several of this litter have been bespoken and, bred as they are, this kennel will hold a strong hand at future shows. All financial members of the Otago Kennel Club will receive a copy of the proposed rules of the club on application to the secretary. CORRECTING PHYSICAL FAULTS. “ Hardly a week passes,” writes Robert Leighton in The Dog World, “ but I am asked for advice in rectifying the blemishes which so often occur in otherwise perfect dogs. One reader will want to know how he can' straighten a tail which curls too much over his dog’s back. A second may have a fox terrier whose ears stand erect like those of an Alsatian; how can they be bent over in the regulation way? How can an objectionable pink nose be turned black? How can cow hocks be rectified, or splay feet be made to knuckle up? They are such small defects that it would not seem impossible to remedy them. But it is not so easy as it looks. There is, indeed, no permanent curd for any one of the faults mentioned. They are inborn, and you cannot interfere with nature in the details of shape and make in the individual animal. The only thing to do is to breed out the fault by judicious mating. If a bitch has bad ears, let her be mated with a dog whose ear carriage is correct, and be very sure that he is not merely a happy exception, but one of a family in which good ears are dominant. It is the same with all the points. This is the secret of success in breeding perfect animals.”