THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2668, 3 May 1905, Page 31

THE KENNEL.

I Bt Terror.

! ti ibute Items to this column. " Terror " will eudeuvour to make 1 bisdeoartmeut as interesting and iip-to date as possible, but in ! order "to do this be muse have the co-oneration of his reailirs hence he trusts this invitation mil be cheerfullj rc^pouae<l to ] {

— — •" • i — A method of benching dogs at shows (now being suggested""in the shows) is to pass tbe chain through a ring fixed in the floor before it is attached to the backboard. The idea is to prevent dogs getting ever the divisions, or in attempting to do "so injuring themselves, The objections lo the plan, however, are serious, for in addition to the regulation chain being too short to allow the exhibit to bo in anything but a cramped position, there is the attendant inconvenience to exhibitors of -having to grovel amongst the dirt on the sanded or litter-bestrewn floor for the ring. — Who would have dreamt some years ago (says the Stockkeeper) that English fanciers would go to Holland to buy Gordon setters? Nevertheless, this was the caee some days ago, according to the Nedcrlandsche Sport, when a well-known British breeder of setters bought from Mr R. Determeijer, of Amsterdam, - the Gordon , setter Prudent Diana, with two yonrig ones. The above. 'paper gives an account of an auction of pointers7"lrish and English setters, which took -place at -Utrecht on January 27. As the .dogs in, question had mostly long pedi-^ gree3, it is very interesting to 'mention the really ridiculous prices, at which our poor "mader in England" doga lhave been sold. The dog 'Rubby"Rhi«hderf}teyn-wa6 bought for the magnificent sum of 50 florins (about £♦), and this is the- highest price which had ever been paid" at this auction ! Champion Blue Drake got no moro <and" no less than 40 florins paid for him (about £3 ss). Sixty-five shillings for a champion ! Sandfort Ruxter, a pointer well known in Holland, fetched, with collar- and chain, the capital sum of 15 florins (a little over a sovereign), and its sister, Mirth, has been sold for 10 florins (just under a pound). Le reste a Tayenant, as the ' Nederlandsche Sport has it." This paper confmuesj "All the prize medaile belonging •to tj4 above kennel fetched 12 florins '(£!}. To- whom does the kennel belong? W« cannot *" find it; under the registered kennel names." — According to the Melbourne Weekly Times fox terriers are booming in New Zealand, ar^d the. kennels of the leading breeders ihere have been added to by the importation of good stock from New South Wales, Victoria, and aJso Great Britain. The formation of a fox terrier club on correct lines should do much to maintain interest in the breed... and, to all appearance©, this • useful variety will hold ' their own for popularity against any other breed in New Zealand. ■■ ,— Mr Guy Boorhby, ' who died suddenly, on March 26, was, apart from his fame as", the- author, of ,"Dr" Nikola," a well-known bulldog; fancier. He .owned the?. noted deg ; Monkey Brand, for' which h&: -gave • £300, and .also that, , premising dog, Black Watch. The latter , died suclsJe«ly soon • after he-, acquired ■ him,, and-r-' taken -all round, Mr' Boothby had his full share of bad' luck with this appaiently luckless breed. ;' However, -he • bred' Old Nobility and one or two of leeser note.' I often met Mr Boothby at London and suburban shows, and had a chat over Australian affairs. He was a native of Adelaide, * and his house .contained naain-y souvenirs of his travels in Australia. — Our friends j;he Dan 4 fanciers in Germany seem to^ hd.ve been very excited over an "episode" which' happened in their midst recently. It appears that, owing to some breeders having .found th* stud fee of 50' marks (50s) asked Torone of the best Danes in (Anhvos-Gohlau) exorbitant, the owner of the dog, disgusted (and rightly, too) with this treatment, sold Apbros-Gohlau to Holland for the (in Germany) almost unprecedented price of 3000 marks (£150). I am sure (says a writer to an English contemporary) that every Dan 3 breeder in this country will agree with me when I say that it is simply scandalous to i aye the best blood exported on account of some breeders objecting lo tbe stud fee of 50s. I saw the plioto of Aphros-Gohlaxi, and must say that the- dog, with the exception of being rather narrow in the chest, is nearly perfect — strong, very tall, of a beautiful gcldenbrindle colour, "and straight as an arrow. He seems to be very active. Of course -it is a great pity for the Garman fanciers to lose a dog of such quality, but one- cannot but admire the former owner of the dog for his prompt decision in this matter, because his countrymen raised a hue and 1 cry against the paltry ram of 50s. From, what I know, the German Dane breeders are\keen sportsmen j as, "for instance, it is a very frequent occurrence in Germany to' have bitches sent from -Berlin for services to a dog in, "Vienna or Amsterdam, and vice versa. ~ - ' » — Amongst • the • various which have I>een recommended _f rom time to \time for the oiirei of chorea, or twitch, there is nothing much better, nor" anything that has proved its<4l£ more satisfactory on the whole, than the preparation known as Easton's Syrup. Easton's Syrup is a compound of iron, strychnin©, and quinine, and it is, of course, a very powerful medicine, and one that needs to be given with considerable care. Of course the quantity of strychnine- in the eyiiup is only very minute, and there need be no fear, so long as it is given discreetly. The dose of Easton's Syrup may be> said to be approximately one drop for every pound the dog weighs. This would make a comparatively mild dose, and it may further be s-aid that a mild/ dose of a medicine like this given frequently ie much to be preferred to a large dose given spasmodically. In treating nervine diseases, you cannot expect to make rapid headway; what you want to do is to start upon a course of treatment and keep it up steadily and systematically. A dose of Easton's Syrup given morning and night when the symptoms of distemper appear will often tend to prevent an attack of paralysis ; and even if no eympton&s of paralysis are present, it will do no harm, because it is an excellent tonic. On recovery from- distemper it is aiso a very good thing to give, *nd a dose morning and night may be kept up for some considerable time — care being taken at the finish that it is not left off too suddenly, or there may be a collapse. There' are a good many different kinds of \onie medicines recommended, and numerous proprietary specifics are sold, all of which, of course, are based upon come good! results, otherwise! they would 1 not be likely to be recommended, or, being repommeaded, would not be likely to give satisfaction. A man who wants to get a good sale for his specific must, of necessity, be able to show intending purchasers that his specific has been tried and proved to be of value. With regard to tooik'3, there aj& different kind^ of

tonics which have their various tises in canine practice. Ou<> is a tonic of the type of Easton's Syrup, referred lo above. This is an example of a nervine tonic. When a dog is suffering from any nervine affection, very strong treatment is necessary, j and that treatment should bo directed to- , wards the nervous system. But there is j another kind of tunic which dogs often require, and Hiafc is a simple appetising tonic — wbafc you might almost call a livpi" tonic; and that kind of tonic ruay be regarded as a compound of an alterative and tonic, and for this purpose a pill composed of compound extract of colocyrr<h in combination with gentian and a little quinine will be found as gcod as anything. A pill of this kind can be made up by any pharmaceutical chemist to whom the requirement is explained, of suitable sizo for any particular " breed of dog. The colooynth acts as a nice mild alterative., the gentian as an appetiser, and the quinine acts partly a 9 a tonic and partly as a preventive of chills, fevers, and agues. St-ch a pill may, therefore, w<?U be kept on hand by every owner of valuable dogs. — Our Dogs.