THE KENNEL. By Terror.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 35

THE KENNEL. By Terror.

fFanoiers anJ breeders of dogs are cordial It invited to contribute items to this column. "Terror ' n ill endeavour to ma,ke bisdepaumCQt v interesting aurt up-to date as possible, bntin order to do this he must h»ve the 00-ooeration of his readers, hence he trusts thi* mvitatioii r. ill be cbeei fully responded to.

—Mr R. Stanton informs me that he has sold all lii a bull pups, so he will not be abi© to supply any orders for a few weeks. The last pup out of several was bought by Mr W. O. M'Kellar. of Dunback. One was sold to Mr W. Hastie, a local fancier, and two to Mr T. Snow, another local fancier ; five were sent to Wellington, two of which were purchas3j by Mr C. Fraser, a wellknown bulldog fancier. One, ako, was supplied) io Dr Lindo Ferguson, and one was sent to Gore to Mr W. F. Inder. The fact of Mr Staxiton supplying so many bulldog fanciers with pups speaks volumes for the quality of his stock. — Another good bulldog has joined the giea-t majority. I refer to Dr Lindo Ferguson's Sambo, a brindlo clog of the good old English type, excelling in head properties. Sambo had proved himself a good sire, leaving some splendid puppies behind him. Sambo was unshown, but had he lived I believe he would have graced our

show bench next year with his ugly beauty, and no doubt would have held his own with the best. Misfortunes did not end here, however, for shortly before his death Sambo bit the pup referred to in these columns as being supplied by M*r R. Sltanton above the eye. The wound gradually got worse, till eventually the pup succumbed, no doubt from blood-poisoning on account of the state of health Sambo was in. This is most unfortunate, as the pup had every appearance of turning out a real good one. Dr Lindo Ferguson has the sympathy of all fanciers in his double loss.

— The following, from the English Kennel Club's new code of rules, will interest New Zealand fanciers: —

13. Disqualification and Forfeit of Prizes. — A dog is deemed disqualified from competition cr receiving a prize if awarded, and shall forfeit all entry fee 3 if it has been —

(a) Exhibited a* an unrecognised show. Or it is (b) 'NvO't entered m accordance with the Kennel Ciub Rules. (c) Totally blind. (d) Totally deaf. (c) Castrated (f) Spayed. (g) Prepared for exhibition in contravention of regulations* contained in the Appendix —

(h> Suffering' from, an infectious or contagious disease.

(i) Registered in the nam-e of, and owned, by, a person suspended for discreditable cenduct as from, th* date of the charge being lodged at the Kennel Club and for the period of such suspension. (j) Exhibited by a person disqualified under Kule 16.

(k) Entered after the date fixed for the closing of entries. (1) Disqualified by the Kennel Club Committee for being led into the ring or worked at a field trial by a person suspendedi under Rules 16 or 17. (m) Disqualified for not complying with the classification in the schedule. (n) Exhibited for competitiion by a judge of the .show. The Kennel Club Committee shall, however, have power to annul such disqualification and remit all, or any part, of such forfeits in the cases (a), (b), (g)", and (h) above mentioned.

— Preaching in the Embassy Church, Paris, recently, the Rev. F. Lawrence, Warden of the "Settlement in South London for the Promotion of Kindness to Animals, said that the Founder of the- Christian religion indirectly urged man to show towards animals high consideration when He said thai birds did not sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and God fed them; and this utterance assumed special significance beside the fact that, by giving fish to the hungry for food, -he- sanctioned animals being calle-l upon to suffer for man. He indirectly urged man to show towards animals respectful regard, when He paid that not even a sparrow was forgotten before God ; and this utterance assumed special significance beside the fact that, by directing a disciple to catch a fish with a hook, He sanctioned- animals being pursued, captured, and killed by, man. He indirectly urged man" to übow towards animals active kindness when He isaid that the good shepherd layefch down his life for the sheep ; and this utterance assumed special significance beside ths fact that, by making a colt bear Him" into Jerusalem, He sanctioned animals being called upon to work for man. He indirectly urged man to show towards animals the practical sympathy which was their duo if they were an integral part of His kingdom, as He declared them to be when He said that all authority had been given unto Him in heaven and on earth.

— Eye trouble is common with dogs, more especially at this time of year. There are various causes, and one of the most common is the presence of foreign matter, such as sand or gravel, which brings on irritation and inflammation of the membrane. Other affections of the eyes ar;so through cold, the effects of distemper, or they may be due to chronic or constitutional weakness. If any foreign matter is present in the eye, the first thing- is to endeavour to remove it. This may be done by bathing the eyes with milk and water, slightly warm, opening the eye- to let the moisture inside of the eyelid?. A soft cloth or sponge can then be used to remove any particles which may be left, rubbing the eye lightly in the operation. A little eye water, made with 12 grains of sulphate of zinc and Boz of water, is a very useful eye-wash, and tends to ollay irritation and reduce any inflammation. This may he- applied two or three times a day until a cure is effected

— A curious case was heard at the Marlborough County Court last December. It involved an interesting question as to the liability of an owner of a dog for damage done by its trespasses on the land of another. It would 'appear that the defendant's dog found its way into a kennel where some bitches in season were kept. The consequence was that a valuable young greyhound bitch in due time produced mongrel puppies. In giving judgment hia Honor said that the action did not lie in negligence. If 'it did, he fovind that the defendant had not been negligent, and that the plaintiff had bee<n guilty of negligence himself in keeping the window of his bitches' kennel open, or in not covering it up with wire. The action, therefore, lay in trespass, or not at all. As regards this, there wex'e very few actual decided cases in point ; but it did se&m that from very old times a dog was considered different from other animals, and that no action lay ior its trespass. He did not think that this was confined to cases of trespass from the highway; the case of "Saundei"s v. Teape," as reported in '"Law Times Reports" (51, L. T. Rep. 263), was against such a contention. He gave judgment for the defendant., with costs, but in case of an appeal assessed the damages to the bitch at £20, as no doubt her market value had greatly depreciated.

— A Xewfoundland puppy, nearly all white, was 'says an exchange) chased by a big dog in Brussels recently, and was terribly frightened. He had a violent epileptic fit, and in a few hours he wa? completely changed, black markings having- appeared all over his coat, which have become permanent. This is certainly a reversal of the natural order of things It ha* oftc-a been chronicled that a =hock ha& resulted in the changing of hair to wl-ice in a sing]') night, .but it is certainly the fh>* time we have heird of hair changing from whr * to black through a fright. The appluati-ui of hair dye would be, in the opinion of uio-t-of our fanciers, more readily accepted as the medium of the change in eclouv.

— The best plan to p m sue with very young puppies when acc-ustoming them to the reports ot firearm* is to fiie a shot at some- distance from the kcanc-1 yard and im-

f mediately thereafter make your appearance with the food. In proceeding thus it is also possible for you to have some other person fire the revolver while you note the impression made upon the puppies by its , report. By gradually decreasing the distances at which the shots are fired, you may accustom youngsters two or threo . months old to the report of firearms, and, having learnt from infancy that the- noise presages nothing worse than the infliction of a meal upon them, they soon become inured to it, and even wait for the report with some degree of pleasant anticipation. Eventually the revolver can be fired in their midst, and if you have been discreet in your handling of firearms it is hardly likely that more than one puppy in ten will slink away and hide from fear of the noise. Where they do so, it is possible by making use of heroic measures to effect a ready cure in this wise. When you note that a puppy alink-5 away when a shot is fired, place the food before the others and allow them to eat while you stand back a short distance and wait for the return of the fiincher. Should he venture forth you can fire another shot just as he reaches a feed pan, and if he rushes back to a place of safety, the pans should be removed before he has had an opportunity to secure food. Allow him to go without a meal, and when feeding time again arrives, go through the same procedure until he remains with the rest of the puppies when a shot is fired in close proximity. The chances are that, after he has gone without two or three meals, and the pangs of hunger make him bold, you are almost certain to effect a cure. — A badly-bred dog, no matter how goodlooking he may be, or how many prizes he may ha\e won (says the< Stoekkeeper) is a. very dangerous, unsatisfactory brute to have in a breeder's kennel. In adopting the expression badly-bred, the writer does not desire it to bo inferred that he is alluding t<3 animals which may not be fashionably bred, but rather to those whose pedigrees can be traced to ancestois which have shown bad faults. A so-called unfashionably-brod dog simply po=se==es the misfortune of not being allied to some of the most notable winners of the day, but the blood which runs in his veins may be that of a good old sti-ain, and may assert its presence and its power at any time. On the other hand, tha animal which goe-s back to a dog or bitch which displayed some conspicuous bad point is quite likely to hand the blemish down to its offspring, and thus may bring disaster upon its owner. In short, both good points and bad ones in a strain, though they may lie dormant for a generation or two, are always liable to reappear, and sometimes when least expected. Ijeyond all question, a ver.y considerablenumber of the great winners have proved themselves to be most successful animals at the etud ; but until they have proved their quality, there are excellent reasons. for preferring their sires or their dams. as the case may be-. There are plenty of instances, moreover, in which the humble looking brother and sister of a champion have proved themselves most reliablo breeders, -and consequently when the price is a consideration and the- buyer has grit in him, and can afford to wait, he. if he is a beginner, and therefore inexperienced, will be wise if he refrains from investing too much capital in purchasing a champion all at once. Under all circumstances, however, in establishing a breeding kennel, it should be remembered that a gocd pedigree is more valuable than good looks unsupported by good breeding. —In Groat Britain and the United States stood *tud dogs brina in a lofc of money. The well-known collie Ornrekirk Emerald i-3 crpdited with earning £800 in 16 months a a stud fees. Tho wire-haired fox terrier j Barklv Ben, is well patronised by breeders | at a fee of 25 guineas for each service, and j many others bring in highly remunerative figures in thi-s war. — The articles of daily diet suitable for a greyhound of scund constitution, and tho modes of preparing 1 the-m, are given by "Stonehe-nge" as follows: — 1st — Simple boiled le?n mutton, beef, or | heahhy horseflesh, either of which will answer, j but mutton aaa-ees best with the stomach, and

a srreatea: quantity -of it will be borne withcufc mjuiy. Whichever is il=ecl «liould be kept for at least a fortnight, and the brc*h should be used to soak the bread. | 2nd — Either of the above chopped into small piece" should be uut- into a, saucepan, and just covered with boiling water, after which the whole fehotikl be just boiled up, carefully stirring rt to prevent burning 1 . 3rd — Either cf the above should be put on | a toasting fork, ov in a Dutch, oven, and done i before a quick fire till the outside is brown, taking care thai- the inside is *til! what is called underdone , after this it- should be cut in small pieces. ith — A sheep's head 1 is to be split- and, put into a frying pan with a very little lard, so a« to blown rapidly, with .the aid of some flouv. The meat should then be cii^'off and the fat "picked our and rejected. Dogs are very fond cf this food', and it suits- them well as an occasional variety. 5th — The bread- -which is used may be either that made without barm, or common bakers' bread (brown if possible), or biscuits made specially of coarse wheat * flour and catmeal. These should be mixed in the proportion of about three parts wheat flour to one part of oatmeal. and the dough should be either made light with the acid and soda, or with bairn. Captains' biscuits are generally full of weevil?, and often musty, besides which they contain no oatmeal, and are made of 'mo flour. Loaves mad-e about the weight of lib e-acb will keep well for ten days or a foitmght, which is quite long enough for all practical purposes. If kept beyond this time they become mouldy. 6th— l have advised that at all times the water should be boiled, for the purpose of preventing the development of worms, but even if not clonf* •wttli this view, it i© better to do so when the dogs are in training, as by accustoming them to its use there is lesa danger of a change of water disagieemg with them. 7th — The hour for feeding when in tiAining i<» xisnally irom 12 io 1 o'clock, but when ui-tna-lly innmng it is rot always possible io adhere Io this rue.

JUDGING FROM THE DOGS' FOIXT

OF VIEW As we stand to be- judged, wo do«= oftentimes

hear Odd remains tha'- arc made by the folk lc/iind

the ring . For each man loves to rc3e as a mo«t learned

Seer; Whilst to «horn all lie knows is, lie thinks, quite th© thing. H\i\ o z'ov thought, critic dear, when '^cxi'ie '"gi\:ng us fits," Ju?t how small you would look it w r Lad io

judge you ' You'd be open, 1 lancy to veiv h<iul hit-* TVeie jou sh-jpned and exposed to our r-i.iJ.ioil view.

For your chest is quite narrow, your shoulder* are fine, There's no muscle to spoil your fore-am symmetry, And "your back is as straight as a "circular' line, And yenr lack-lustre eyes are not worth at h.c." As for youi 1 character, you and your crowd mostly fail ! Then, m swbvtance, few of you are worthy to win; And your jaded expression, veil, sorae of it's; Ale, Ar.d the rest shall we write down a? Whisky? or Gin? "Ah! the breed a- gone to pot,"' is the fancier's cry, "They are wrong altogether from muzzle tc hocks" ; Yet, take dogs and spectators, and can yot deny You must search ihe ring side whe.i in quesi of "old crocks''?

G.B.G-.