THE KENNEL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23887, 15 August 1939, Page 2

THE KENNEL

By Breeder

'* Breeaer " will be pleased it dog owners and others concerned will forward him notes of interest for his consideration with a view to their, insertion in this column

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT "H. M. W."—The proper course of feeding would be meat (raw or lightly cooked) and whole wheatmeal dog food. Two feeds a day only. Milk and eggs are not essential except for invalid dogs. The gravy from the meat (if cooked) should be poured over the wheatrneal food. A little chopped raw cabbage or scraped carrot could be added to this. Give what they will eat hungrily; then take the remainder away.

It is pleasing to note that the Otago Kennel Club held another successful ribbon parade last week. Despite the fact that the parade had been postponed for a week owing to the weather conditions there was quite a good turn out of quality dogs, As the .'esults have already been published I will simply congratulate the winners and hope that those who were not so successful will try again.'These parades are run mostly for the novice owner and the novice dog and they have certainly proved worth while. Mr J. MacDonald, of Timaru. the well-known West Highland white terrier fancier has been appointed to judge the Dunedin Fanciers' Club's ribbon parade to be held on September 16. Mr R. B. Mason reports a very fine litter of cocker spaniel puppies from his young blue-roan bitch, Sheila of Braedene, sired "by that good dog ch. Radiant Rocket. There were eight pups in the litter, all blue roans—three dogs and five bitches, but they were reduced to three dogs and two bitches. These pups are an exceptionally fine healthy lot and on breeding lines they are hard to beat. Sheila has been shown in the under 12 months class at three separate shows under three different judges and collected first prize each time. Sheila is by Radiant Stormcloud ex Miss Coquette. Mrs M. L. O'Connsl has secured from Mr J. MacDonald, of Timaru, a West Highland white terrier bitch puppy that is full of promise. This pup is by ch Angus of Westmere ex Lochiel Demura, and is a full sister to ch Muiredge Jeanette. At the monthly meeting of the Canterbury Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals it was reported that the animal clinic established recently by the society as an adjunct to their other activities, was proving a big asset to the city because injured and, sick animals such as cats and dogs could be taken there for prompt attention. The services of the superintendent as well as of the society's inspector were often called upon in cases of street accidents to animals, and where these were beyond reasonable aid they ■were painlessly destroyed. Here is an idea for Dunedin to follow. Miss McClymont has purchased a West Highland white dog pup from Mr J. MacDonald, of Timaru. This pup is by the Australian-bred dog Jerry of Whittier. who is'by Dougal of Muiredge ex Judith of Whittier. The dam, Heaten Jean, is by ch Angus of Westmere ex Lochiel Demura and is a full sister to Muired£#Jeihette. TM* ( pup is bred in the purple and should make a name for itself on the show bench later on. DOPE GANGS ON QUEENSLAND RACING TRACKS Brisbane coursing clubf and greyhound owners are deeply concerned, states a Sydney paper, because a dope gang is operating in a big way oh the Brisbane tracks, and certain clubs have made arrangements for the police to keep a close watch on their kennels. It was stated that there was ample evidence of interference to many dogs lately, and recently one dog, Which was evidently fit when it arrived at the course, could not compete in the first race, and was in a bad way for some time afterwards. Every effort had been made to catch the offenders, but their means are swift, mysterious, and deadly effective. One owner-trainer had employed extra attendants to watch his dogs, for some weeks, from the time they arrive at, until their departure from, the course. Another owner raced his dog at Rocklea, and took him home immediately after the second race. Soon afterwards he collapsed, and despite expert veterinary attention, it was more than three days before he was out of danger. Every metropolitan course has suffered. The culprits are apparently operating in a big way. Owners of dogs, many of them valuable animals, are seriously alarmed. Unless the authorities can find some method of preventing the dogs being injured, it is likely to have a serious effect on coursing activities in Brisbane. PLACING A GOOD ONE It is one thing to have a good dog, and another to place him to the best advantage, writes L. C. Wilson, in Our Dogs. Some of us, when we get hold of one above the average, are so eager to get him into the ring that the first show is not too soon for us. Those, however, who have been through the hard mill of experience and have grown foxy do better than that. They make sure that a newcomer has the best possible chance, of a brilliant, start and that they exploit his freshness to the full. A case in point is Mr H. S. Lloyd's new cocker, Regis of Akron. Practically a champion in Ireland, he is still eligible for graduate classes over here, and Mr Lloyd put him away in his kennel for two months in order to catch as many shows as possible with him before he became barred from the minor classes. Starting at Shrewsbury, this dog was entered for no fewer than 14 shows off the reel —a real masterpiece of juggling with entry closing dates. To be able to do this sort of thing properly one must, of course, have the goods, but more than that, one must have supreme confidence in one's own judgment. Just imagine entering, say, an average of six classes a show for 14 shows at an average entry fee of 6s, and then coming away from them all cardless. The thought won't bear thinking. JUNG CHARLES SPANIELS What is the correct colour for a King Charles spaniel? All literature and paintings depicting these gay little toy dogs in the period immediately preceding the reign of Charles II and for some time after that seem to prove that only three colours were known —liver and. white, black and white. Those included in any portrait of that gay

monarch were always liver and white, and there does not appear to be any record of black and tans or black, white and tans. When the liver-and-white dog lost favour and became supplanted by the black, white and tanned spaniel no one seems to know, but in about 18JU this colour was supreme. Early History It is a known fact that small spaniels existed in France and Holland in the fifteenth century, and that they were to be found in England and Scotland soon after that period, their introduction being possibly due to Mary Queen of Scots, who spent her early life in France, and/or to William Prince of Orange, who was a Dutchman. One thing is a certainty, and that is King Charles the Second did keep them and was very attached to them. Samuel Pepys. in his " Diary * (1666) mentions small spaniels as being in the chambers of the King at Whitehall, where their litters of puppies were running about among the lords and ladies of the Court, much to his disgust. According to " Stonehenge' (1867), the great difficulty in keeping the black, white and tan specimens clean and presentable led to their becoming out of date, and they were succeeded by the black and tans, with an occasional tricoloured dor? turning up in the litters. The present day specimens are similar in size and much shorter in face than those kept in the time of the "Stuarts," outside blood haying been introduced to effect this transformation, breeds named being pugs, bulldogs, Japanese spaniels, and Maltese, but nothing definite seems to be on record about this. The Duke of Marlborough kept a strain of small red and white spaniels which was used for sporting purposes. These were called " Blenheims." In 1885 a Toy Spaniel Club was founded, and this body set to work to unravel the confusion caused by so many different names being given to the various colours of these little spaniels. These toy spaniels were divided by colour as follows:—King Charles (black and tan), ruby 1 (red); Prince Charles (tri-colour); and Blenheim (red and white). In 1923 the list was revised, and they all came under the heading of King Charles spaniels, being divided as black and tan, ruby, tricolour and red and white.