THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2556, 11 March 1903, Page 49

THE KENNEL.

Br Terror. •

H'aiicliri :i»J lirctilrrs of dogs are cordially linilcd to con < v limit Hems to tliii column. "Terror will endeavour to male tin depurtnirut ai Imtrc illus and np-to date as possible, but i ordn la ilo this lie must ha\c the co-oDcration of In* reader hence l.c truets. thU inwMliou will be cheerfully rt-inondcd to.

— Tho fact that thia year we are to have the Collie Club's trophies to . be competed " for at the Dunedin show will occasion, if ' anything cculd do so, evfcn keener rivalry- •• amongst fcho Dunedin breeders than ordinarily appertains, and, bearing -this fact in mind, 1 shall make it my business to pay them spr-cial attention for a period. To begin with, I sought an interview with Mr J. Rennio, to whose endeavours, I believe, we owe the concession by the Coljio Club jusfc refered to, and which will certainly greatly enhance the interest attaching to the 1903 show. Mr Rennie showed me a pretty tricolour 13-mont'is-old collie slut, Regina, now attending to throe pups. Regina has a really beautiful head, of extreme length, true collie expression, correct ear carriage, nicely-shaped body, and it is well set on strong feet. This slut has won six firsts, the New Zealand Kennel Club's and the Collie Club's championships for the best bitcb in the show, the Collie Club's gold medal, and the Palmerston Club's silver medal, and it wa w , of hei that I reported last reason aa at nine months old making what I believed! was a record event foi New Zealand — i.e., won everything she. competed for, going right through the show— puppies, novice,limit, open, and th» Kennel and Collie Club's championship. Vanity, » full litter sister, i 3 also a very pretty slut, but at all points noticeably inferior tc Regimu Sho is an excellent kennel mate, howevei', i£ < only tc show off the merits of the "star."Both are bred from Tain o'Shanter, out oE Hermosa (Hormosa being by a full sister, to Marvel, mother of the Napier cracky Makaraka Ranger, and daughter of Orms-t kirk Formosa, of Sydney, by Herdwick). Viking, a sable dog of strong build",' though a trifle short, was next brought iip- ' for inspection. He carries an immense coat, and has splendid action, reminding me in several respects (though lighter in, 1 colour) of Mi Rogen,'. dog Maxim. Mr Rennie :r, indebted to the dog's prowess as a cbampicii pud for. a handsome gold r^sdiV.

won at Wellington under Mr Wark. Regina's pups — two dogs and a biteh — look strong and healthy, and I understand have been already sold at satisfactory figures. \ Mr Rennie promises to show Hermosa at <Jur next chow; also some pups by Mr S'innemore's dog Wishaw Jock out of Hermosa. Seeing that Wishaw Jcck has on "(two occasions won championships in New "South Wales, and is a close relation of 'champion Wishaw Clinker, undoubtedly the Jbest collie alive in England to-day, and that ,'Hermosa has herself won eight firsts and one [second, and never been beaten, Mr Rennie's , fjexbibits will not be the least attractive [pbjects at the show. j By the way, Mr Rennie informs me that, jfchough in his possession, these dogs are the '^oint property of Messrs Neil and Rennie. —Mr Jas. M'Dougall's fox terrier bitch IWireto* Bee haa a. nice litter of pups—four •" Jdoga and one biteh — by Mr Roberts' Wiretoa fllally. The pups were whelped on the 17th •■February, and the bitch is already sold to •" -Mr Grave, of Auckland. Those in search of la terrier pup of quality might do worse than jopen negotiations for one of the dog pups, j : _ Evansdale Peri haa again been visiting (Mr- Roberts' Rally. jt -^~Mr Freeman Lloyd writes:— Possibly £hel smartest Ehow handler of a dog in is Ben Lewis, who has a large alltround -kennel at Lansdowne, Philadelphia, his" own dogs, there are to ' be found there several animals owned by others. . !nnd they are all more of less a very good - ■ "Jot,, -and fit .to go into the ring with eny 'of them, and, what is more, hold their own. (Lewis is quite at home with gun doga, for. *3 .a youngster he was brought up among vthem. Only one fault can be found with <(the Lansdown man. lam told that it is he fwh9 introduced the style which nearly all fcanffiera now affect. That is, kneeling 'etown and holding a dog up at both ends, '(posing him, as if a judge didn't know a from a donkey, and what he should and should not be like. But it is said jithat the method was highly successful in 4he old days, and so great was the call for Xewi* as a leader in every breed and every 'section that before night 25d0l bills 'trould sbe hanging out of his coat jpockets where they were hurriedly stowed away, these being the usual gifts or preeents from the excited and enthusiastic V>wners for each winning "mount." Ben {Lewis's affection evidently still lies in the jiray of English setters. I — The. same writer says:— There is a igood deal of correspondence taking place nrith respect to "over-shot" mouths so frequently seen in the modern show collio, and (it ia proposed to takte drastic steps to overfcome what is considered a growing evil. jSohjo of the cracks of recent times have jbeen very much pig-jawed, but for all that Ahey have kept themselves in the foreground [at .exhibitions. There has never been a tendency- to condone faultiness of mouth in Jtne collie tribe, for the dog does not use his (teeth- in tho way. of business, and consequently, I suppose, the evil has grown. Long tieads in cdlliea have had the preference jove-r evenness of mouths in show specimens. |One very long-headed collie I remember .arriving here some time ago. He was jbemg looked at by some fanciers on board &he just-arrived steamer, and his extremely long head was very noticeable. The -dog's knout h. was at once suspected, and an exjpert went over for a close examination that |was apparently satisfactory, for he turned )fcway, saying, "His 'mouth's all right." Quick jas lightning the dog- took a mouthful of (tweed from, the hind part o/ the expert's |>ants, to the intense amusement of the bystanders, who also chorused, "Oh, yes, his jnou th's all right." I — According to the Birmingham Daily Mail the Smethwick man who attempted to profit by his dog's dishonesty received a iharp reminder from the magistrate. A dog which steals a piece of meat from a butcher's shop may be very intelligent, and toertainly has its uses. But the training of ' *he animal had not gone far enough. After (giving the stolen meat to its master, the ."dog allowed itself to be captured by the liingcy butcher. Then a policeman, with flow cunning, attached a string to the fourkooted thief, and the poor dog led the way )fco its master's house, where the stolen meat mraf discovered in the pantry. A fine, including costs, of £1 11s, ought to do some.thing to check this method of stealing by *"" Launce sat in the stocks for vpuddings which his dog had stolen, but he jwas an unwilling accomplice. , — One of the most graceful acts of ring etiquette was witnessed recently at a prominent show in England, and if all exhibitors and breeders acted in euoh a : qneenly, ladylike manner, ' and the judges, When they see they have made a mistake J(for to err is but human), would frankly own it, •dog showing would be less a business, lenoney-maiking game it is so fast becoming. £The ring was crowded with the fair sex, a mere man wa6 adjudicating upon the _exBiibits before, him. To the utter astonish-. Went, of everyone, onlookers and participators alike in' the dog's doings, the first . award was given to a dog who was decidedly dame. The owner waited till the judging "iot that c1a.98 was finished, there was no look of triumph on her face, no joy at winning what 6he considered was not hei just due, jbut simply a quiet determination tc put the knattcr right. When opportunity offered, ifche lady pointed out to the judge his misKake, and relinquished the prize to the next Sn order of merit. The judge admitted his Wror and nearsightedness (fortunately -ha fcw*rd slip, J believe, had not been sent in), end apologised. Thus was averted what knight have been a serious contretemps and la cause of extreme dissatisfaction. Many fiudges would not have acknowledged Jieir ' Ifault, would not have listened to or seen ~ reason, preferring rather to go upon the ' iline— "lf you have made a mistake never acknowledge it; put it right (how is left ito the imagination), but don't admit it is your mistake." This is all very well, and mil do for some people, but I think it is *af© to predict that the man who has honesty {enough to not only rectify his errors, but to 'Acknowledge them, will obtain more genuine Respect than he who will never admit he 13 ]wrong, but is not above righting the wrong Jn.an underhand manner, and so long as it can be done without inconvenience to him•elf. -