SHEEP DOG NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 33

SHEEP DOG NOTES.

By Terror

Dear “Terror,” —I notice that in your issue of July 30 an anonymous correspondent, signing himself “ Fair Play,” has a letter asserting that, as ki breeder. Border Boss was no improvement on ordinary dogs, and endeavouring to lead your readers to believe that, because I happened to mention otdy the two most famous of bis sons, they are all that wore worth writing about. I can assure “Fair Play” that they are not by any means the only good dogs left by Boss, and I may mention another that comes before my memory us I write, and who was fairly prominent at southern trials last year —Mr W. Shaw’s Don. Then a number of our country trials are won by the progeny of Boss; hut these dogs, belonging to shepherds who do not follow up competitions, fail to get a chance to distinguish themselves at large meetings, and so bring themselves before the notice of the general public. Numbers of Ids stock, too, are in the hands of shepherds who do not compete at all, and several of these dogs, were they in the hands of men who follow up trial work, are capable of' putting up performances equal to those of even Boss Junior and Lilico Again. I myself have come in contact with eight of his progeny. They were all grand bill dogs, and had they been in proper hands almost any ono of them was capable of winning in the best of compan v. If “ Fair PLav ” would really like to know in what regard Border Boss’s progeny are hold hv shepherds. I would advise him to try to hnv one. T may mention that I had to pay £2O to obtain an untrained daughter of his, and have refused (lie same figure from the most prominent doggie man in the Dominion for the right to breed from another daughter of bis I own. Can “ Fair Play ” name any other sire the progeny of which command such prices? I think not. Granted that Lochiel Jed had something to do with the success of Boss Junior, the fact of Border Boss leaving three such flogs ns Mr thaw’s Don. Lilico Again, and Boss Junior out of different hitches at once proves him to be the best breeding dog we Imve vet had in Now Zealand. “ Fair Play” certainly cannot name any other dog with the record his eon Lilico Again held last year—viz.: At seven consecutive trials he scored eight firsts, three seconds, four

thirds, besides trophies ind cups; placed every time ho went out, and never crossed his head. Hud Border Boss never left any other dog than this he would still bo entitled to a high place among the breeding dogs of the Dominion.

" Fair Play ” contends that Border Bess failed to maintain here the reputation ho gained at Home, simply because he failed to yard his sheep at Motgiel. This contention of his at once proves conclusively just how much ho really knows about the subject on which he attempts to fake me to task. If “ Fair Play ” would but play fair, and apply it to all cases, it would appear to make this brother of Loohiel Jed’s of whom ho thinks so much a much worse dog than he really is; for ■he has competed 1 at most of the important North Island trials this year, without once being placed. No shepherd, though, who knows the rudiments of trial work, thinks any the worse of him for it, nor docs anyone think less of Border Boss because he failed to yard his sheep the only time he competed in New Zealand. I have not yet mot an expert judge who saw this performance wito did not declare Boss to bo the best dog he ever saw appear in public. The outrun and pull was perfection itself, and, to those who had never before seen a Border collie at work, a revelation. That being so, what matter if ho did fail to yard? Where is the practical shepherd but will forgive a dog's failure there if ho excels in heading and pulling? Then we must also take into consideration the fact that Border Boss’s owner is not in the habit of competing at trials, and on tin's occasion in all probability was out to give only an exhibition. If such were the case, we may take it for granted that Mr Lilico did not want to yard his sheep, but desired to occupy his full time in displaying Boss’s stylo at hand. In conclusion, I must apologise to you. Sir, for again trespassing on your valuable space. My only excuse is your complaint in a former issue that you were not getting all the assistance for your sheep dog notes you expected from shepherds.—l am, etc., Chas. Paterson.