THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 35

THE KENNEL.

Bt Terror. Fanciers an.l breeders of dogs .ire cordially imitsd to eon bis department as interesting and up to-date hs po^mble, but in order to do this be must hue the 00-ooeiation ot tin renders — Give a Boy a Dog. — Thoro is no better comparuon for a boy than a clog. No matter what breed — they are all wise, — but the king of the race canine is the collie and close after him the terriers. The faithfulness of the dumb creature and its dependence upon the attention of its owner cannot fail to draw out the latter's good qualities whatever they "nay be. A boy who owns a -dog and has learned to value it as a companion could not possibly take part in the cruel or thoughtless pranks so often played upon dumb animals. Further the attention, necessary to the proper keeping of a dog tends to generate habits of cleanline&s generally, and thoughtfulncss for others. — What to do with the puppies? The decision to destroy all superfluous stock is a needlessly cruei and rather selfish way of settling the matter, but if carried out is certainly an effective one. Upon the whole, however, the better plan is to dispose of the animals without supplying- the pedigree, and, if possible, without letting the breeder's name be known, for then, unless the dogs turn out unexpectedly well,' the chances of them costing 1 their first owner much/- inconvenience, if any, in real life are very remote. A really good-look-ing dog of a popular variety is pretty sure to realise nore than the cost of rearing him, e\en if his pedigree and breeder's name are withheld, and few owners and breeders find the game so remunerative that they can afford to practise the expensive way of destroying all the puppies they do not want themselves. — Colic is one of the summer troubles to which dogs are subject, probably lor one or two reasons. Either the animal has obtained some filthy water, which is setting up internal trouble, or he may have taken a draught of cold water when very hot. In fact, there aye plenty of causes which set up colic in hot weather. We understand by colic a, sudden attack of violent pain. Puppies are very often subject to it, and in their case it is due to the presence of worms. Most dog owners know how al times puppiee are attacked in this way, and if relief is not quickly given they will have fits^and die. In regard to older dogs, the attacks come on very suddenly, and the animal exhibits all the well-known symptoms of acute pain, the body being doubled up in a semi-circular shape, with the tail between the legs. Colic may also come about as the result of a little internal stoppage, or it may be due to wrong feedings There are some kinds of food which are apt to ferment internally, particularly sugary substances, which undergo chemical decomposition, and so it is a complaint which may very often affect dogs kept indoors and fed) on aJI sorte of sweet dainties. The best course of treatment ie to give a good dose of castor oil first, and follow that by a few drops of sal-volatile, tincture of opium and ether, which can be obtained from the nearest chemist, who will understand how and in what proportions to mix them, if the purpose for which the mixture is required be explained to him. Sometimes the use of an injection is desirable in cases in which it may be supposed that there is a stoppage internally. In a good many cases, the administration of small doses of chlorodyne at intervals of half an hour will have a good effect, but judgment will have to be exercised according as the dog may be suffering from constipation or relaxation. There is no hard and fast line to be drawn, but each case must be dealt with on its merits. On the whole, there is nothing like a good dose of castor oil, whatever be the case. It cannot do any harm, for if there be constipation, the castor oil will relieve that; if on the other hand there be relaxation, the castor oil will tend to carry away from the intestines the irritating matter which is the cause- of the symptoms. Great care should be taken with regard to puppies during hot weather, lest they have anything in the way of sour food. It is sucih a common practice to leave part of a meal not eaten in the feeding bowls, and often exposed to the sun. and not infrequently consisting of soaked biscuit, which begins to ferment at once under mch conditions. Let all the food of puppies be prepared perfectly fresh, care being taken that net more is made at one time than they can consume for their intended meal. —In the opinion of an Irish terrier fancier what is wanted in the Irish terrier is general '"daie-devihsni," a racy though substantial" and well-knit appearance, adding to these a character and expression, the former of which should be almost sinister and the latter keen and lively. — For the information of a correspondent, "P. P.," I give the following pug standard adopted by the English club: — Head — Large, massive, round, not appleheaded (round at the top of the skull), with no indentation of the skull. Eyes. — Dark in colour, very large, bold, and prominent, globular in shape, and soft and solicitous in expression ; very lustrous, and when excited full of fire. Ears. — Thin, small, soft, like back velvet. Theie are two kinds — the ro«e (the tip turned downwards and backwards, exposing inner side of -ear), and button ; preference is given to the latter. I Muzzle. — Short, blunt, square, but not upfaced. ' Body. — Short and cobby, wide in. chest, and well ribbed up Legs. — Very 'strong, straight, of moderate length, and well under. Feet. — Neither so long as the foot of the hare nor so round as that of the cat; toes well split up, and the nails black. Markings. — Clearly defined. The muzzle o* mask, ears, moles on the cheek, thumb mark or diamond on fciehead, and back trace i should: be as black as possible j Mask. — Should be black The more intense and well-defined it is the better. Wrinkle. — Large ai:d deepTra.ce. — A black line extending from the occiput io the tail. Tail. — Curled tight'y as possib'e over the hip. The double curl is perfection. i Coat. — Fine, smooth, soft, short, and glossy, ' neither hard nor woclly. , Colour. — Silver or apricot fawn ; each should be decided, to make the contrast complete between the colour and the trace and mask. Symmetry. — Symmetry and general appearance decidedly square and cobby. A lean, leggy pug and a dog with short legs and a . long body are equally objectioaablA, j

Size and Condition.— The pug shouW bo niultum in parvo, but this condensation should be shown by compactness of form, wellknit proportions, and hardness of developed nmscle. Weight.— l3lb to 17lb. Point Values — Symmetry, 10; size. 5; condition, 5; body, 10; legs, 5; feet, 5; head, 5; muzzle, 5; ears, 5; eyes, ID; mask, 5; crinkle, 5; tail, 5; tiace, 5; coat, 6; colour, 5; general carriage, 5, — total, 100. I To smile and laugh is generally regarded as characteristic of man, and man only; nevertheless, it has been observed that certain animals, more especially the dog, show an, expression of the face distinctly resembling a smile, if not even a. laugh. Gratiolet, a. celebrated French physiognomist, admits that dogs have what he calls j the smile of the eyes, which is produced by a slight elevation of the external corners of the eyes. Maida, the famous deerhound of Sir Walter Scott, had a habit of showing 1 her joy by what might easily be described as a smile or a laugh. In facb, this grimace or smile is common enough amongst dogs, but it rarely manifests itself in a striking manner. When it does, the upper lip ie , drawn back, exposing the canine teeth, as though the dog werei going to growl, the ears are thrown back, and the expression of the face, far from being one of irritation, is, on the contrary, one of joy or pleasure. Scotch collies are rather given to smile at comical sights new to them, as well as at their masters nqw and then. The present writer had a. very intelligent little collie which used to smile and look up to his master with c knowing air every time he saw a travelling bear, or even a goat, or almost any odd and unfamiliar creature. The expression of his face can only be rendered by the word " smile," the lips being drawn ap at the corners and the eyes betraying conscious amusement — if not even an arch or roguish look. The Vis1 comte d'Aiglun relates that one af his friends had a dog which, at the end of several months, learned to laugh with a j spaniel, his companions ; and as a further ' ' proof of the force of imitation, he mentions the case of <- small Havana dog which acquired the habit of licking his paws and cashing his face like a cat of his acquaintance. — Kennel Gazette. SOUTH ISLAND BRITISH BULLDOG CLUB. I A meeting of the committee of the South Island British Bulldog Club was held in Messrs Grace and Wilson's rooms on the 27th ult. Present: Messrs R. Martin (in ! the chair), E. H. Lough, G. C. Hoffman, I T. Snow, R. T. Menzies, and R. Sianton. I It was decided to offer for competition the . following trophies, open to members of the I club only: — { i Trophy, value £7 7s, presented by South j Island British Bulldog Club for best bulldog, either sex, in the show ; to be won three times by same exhibitor, but not necessarily in succession, before becoming his or her absolute property. Trophy ,_ value £3 3s, presented by Mr , W. Downie Stewart, for best bitoh (open ; class) ; to be won twice, not necessarily m succession. Picture (India print) " Bulldogs of the Twentieth Century," presented by Mr A. ' W. Wilkins, of Sydney, for best bulldog in show (dog). The club is getting the above picture mounted and framed (value not stated). Gold medal (value not stated), presented by Mr R. Martin, for best New Zealand , bred dog '((bulldog). Trophy, value £1 Is, presented by Mr E. C. Reynolds, for best New Zealand bred bitch. Trophy, value £1 Is, presented by Mr H. • J. Meade, for best puppy (dog). j Trophy (value not stated), presented by Mr E. Webster, for best puppy (bitch). ' The above trophies, in addition to the Fanciers' Club's cash prizes, should create some enthusiasm amongst members of the club. The club is waiting for information from a London firm which manufactures , cup^, medals, models, etc., before deciding : the precise form of their allotted trophies. .«.