THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2293, 10 February 1898, Page 34

THE KENNEL.

[Fanciers and breeders of dogs are cordially fn» vited to contribute items to this column. " Terror " will endeavour to make his department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do this he must have the co-operation of his readers ; hence he trusts this invitation will be cheerfully responded to.] NOTES BY TERROR. * . ' Pressure of other baeiaess has made it impossible for me to bestow the necessary attention on this column for eoaie weeks back, and consequently amongst other matters of interest I have been compelled to withhold consideration of the subject matter of the following letter. Will any of my readers, particularly those directly interested, favour me with their opinions on tho mbjecfc :—: — " Dear Terror, — As the season during which the sheep-dog trial* are held is rapidly approaching, and as the different standards of judging the work of oompetitsg dogs have led to tome controversy, would you be so kiod as to discu*s the question of a fixsd standard of work for a judge to go by and also invite opinions on the same in the Witness should it not trespiws too largely os your tpace. Thanking you in e-ntici-patiou, — I am, &/:., Novice." • . •It was recently reported t'aat a Schipperke ab the Palace show possessed » ootstplete set of false teeth. Word tiow comes from the old country tuat; a valuable fox-tetrier has been fixed up with an artificial glass eye. • . • Correspondents uf Easiwli k-ennel journals give ample testimony of the value of freab blood as a food for doge, which evince asa intense liking for it. The blood is selected, rendered impervious to decomposition, and solidified by several English manufacturers of dogs' food. • . • The people in a country parish, aays the We-vEiJjinscer Gaz-Jite, were puzzled «nd startled a Sunday or two ago to find outside the gates of the church this uotica " writ large" :—: — ?.10 Bo«s Admitted. As the cauich was not a large one, the parishioners were naturally hurt, and an investigation followed. The explanation turned out to be a very simple one. The notioe really was :—: — No Dogs Admitted, but; ix psis*iug wag removed the angle stroke from the N, with a speedy and effective result. • . • A valuable collie in England wns observed to suffer great psin from a lump in its side. A surgical operation resulted in the successful extraction of a common iron kitchen skewer 3£iu long, which the dag had swsllowed. • . ■ An estraordiaacy case of canine intelligence comes from Kilkenny. A gentleman residing in that county rxoeutly gave a clerical friend of his, who livea at a place called Storeyford, in the same county, a valuable three-year-old collie. In order fco accustom the animal to his new home he was shut up for a few days, but the very first opportunity he got he made off and returned to hia former master. This j occurred twice. His old ma«ter, who wished for his canine friend a good home, next senfc him by rail to Cloumel, f eom Ballj bole station, a distance of 22 miles, and thence to Ballymacarberry, six miles further on, to another friend, who was anxious to have a good sheepdog. However, poor Fido, footeore and weary, again returned to his old home. The faithful animal had been taken away by rail and came back by road — a widely d'flerent route and one over which be had never previously travelled. The Dog-muzzling Question. — In a leader of November 19 the London Times writes that fcha discontent of dog-owuers on this matter has of late be=c raised to the dignity of a grave political question. In fact, Lord Salisbury regards the vexatious muzz'ing regulations as one of the causes that have led to the decrease of the Unionist vote. Australian fanciers should be thankful that the absence of rabies in the colonies allows their dogs immunity from muzzles and leaßhe3. The much-abused " muzzling" order came into force in Eagland on April 10 last. From that date till October 31 no les* than 19,613 unmuzzled dogs have been seized by the police in fche county of London alone ; of that number 7191- were claimed by their owners. In the last eight mouths seven cases of r&bies have occurred in London.