THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 33

THE KENNEL.

Bt Ter bo*.

Paaolers and breeder* of doge arc cordially incited to contribute to thi* column. “ Terror ” will endeavour to make tills department a* Interesting and up-to-date as possible, out in order to do this he must hare tbe co-operation of hit readers, hence he trust* t hi'i invitation will be cheerfully responded to.

The Bulldog Club of New South Wales held its fifth annual “ Grand Australasian Championship Show ” in Sydney on Thursday (says the Lyttelton Times). The competitor's included all the best dogs of the breed in Australia, among them being a number of recent importations from England. New Zealand was alsy represented, as the Christchurch fancier, Mr F. Hickinbottorn, sent Champion Amherst Baron, an imported dog with an unbeaten record in the dominion. A rough trip across left the dog sick on arrival in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon. Notwithstanding the disadvantage of having to take his place in the show ring two days after coming off the boat, Champion Amherst Baron secured first award in the open class for dogs under 451 b and second in the grand open dog class, which represented the championship of Australasia. In addition to a cash prize in each class, he won four trophies. When Mr Hiokinbottom’s dog left Christchurch he weighed over 471 b, so that he must have lost a good deal of weight on the voyage to qualify for the light-weight class two days after his arrival in Sydney. “Short-back.”—The note you refer to appeared on tho 15th January this year, but for your information it is reproduced this week.

Last week I expressed the hope that tho Fox Terrier fancy would show a little more life, and a reader now asks me, "What about the black cockers?” Yes. what about the cockers? There are plenty of them about, and the quality good at that, but apparently they are not in the right hands. This breed will soon get scarce in Otago unless the good specimens we have fall into better hands. A mat is not a fancier merely because he owns a good dog A fancier is essentially a sport, and his enthusiasm is catching. The reason why any fancy spreads and takes hold in a community is because tho owners are sufficiently interested to talk and exhibit, and sometimes, in their anxiety to gain promising recruits, can bo generous. The gift of a well-bred pup has often boon the creation of an enthusiastic fancier.

The South Island British Bulldog’ Club’s specials have not been allotted to the Christchurch Show. The omission is said to be due to failure on the part of the Christchurch Club to supply certain information in re the judges to bo appointed and as regard's show dates. The trouble might have been adjusted had not the schedules been distributed before the omission was made good. This is a great pity, and presumably local fanciers wiT have to console themselves by entering for the specials at the Camara fixture on the 21st and 22nd November and at the local Summer Show.

A scheme is on foot to promote an inter-island competition between teams of bulldogs at the next Winter Show in Dunedin, and if the North Island fanciers will only fall in with the proposal, much interest should be drawn to England’s “national breed.”

—Mr J. Hutton’s bitch Dominion Hope is heavy in whelp to the bulldog British Beaming, and a litter is expected early in December. Mr H. B. Paterson’s bitch Belle Bromley is also expected to whelp about tho sumo time These will bo the two first litters in New Zealand by Mr Menzioa’s newly-imported dog, and I understand already several orders are in liand for puppies.

Mr O. E. Stutham, M.P., has written accepting the position of patron for another year to the South Island Bulldog Club. The schedule for the Summer Show of dogs at the, Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s Show on 26th and 27th November is to hand Classes for all modem breeds are provided for, and in addition to the usual prize-list the following trophies are to be competed for—viz. : The South Island British Bulldog Club offers a trophy, valued at £2 2s, for the best bulldog (either sex) in the Show, to bo won twice, not necessarily in succession; a trophy, valued at £1 Is, for best New Zealand-bred dog; a trophy, valued at £1 Is, for best New Zealand-bred bitch; a trophy, valued at 10s 6d, for best puppy dog in Show; a trophy, valued at ]os 6d, for best puppy bitch in Show; a medal, valued at £1 is, for the best rough-coated collie puppy dog or bitch. The competitions are open to members of club only. All New Zealand fanciers will be pleased to learn that the bulldog Amhurst Baron has justified his owner’s enterprise in entering him for the New South Wales grand championship show, held in Sydney last week. Champion Amhurst Baron is an imported dog with an unbeaten record in the Dominion A rough trip across left the dog sick on arrival in Sydney. Notwithstanding the disadvantage of having to take his place in the show ring two days after coming off tho boat. Champion Amhurst Baron secured first award In the open class for dogs under 451 b and second

in the grand open dog class, which represented the championship of Australasia. In addition to a cash prize in each class, he won four trophies. When Mr Hiokenbottom’s dog loft Christchurch ho weighed over 471 b, so that ho must have lost a good deal of weight on the voyage to qualify for the light-weight class two days after his arrival in Sydney. ■— A case of considerable importance, involving the validity of the veterinary examinations of dogs at shows, came before the Kennel Club Committee at its meeting held on July 25, and which is reported in the Kennel Gazette for August. It was _ the appeal of Mr 11. Pedder from the decision of the committee of the Toy Dog Society, which, on the authority of its veterinary surgeon. Mr A. J. Sewell, rejected his Pomeranian, Southcotea Sable Mite, at its show held oar May 9, on tlio ground, as set forth in the latter’s certificate, of suffering from sarcoptic mange. Mr Pedder produced certificates of a “clean bill of health” of the dog from Mr S. Bradley. M.R.C.VS.. dated May 10; from Mr Arthur M. Brace, M.R.C.V.S., dated May 15; and from Mr W. Donghurst. M.R.C.V.S. (local inspector to the Board of Agriculture), dated May 16; all of which declared that the dbg was free from marge of any and every kind, and quite healthy. The committee of the Kennel Club, after a careful hearing of the case, dismissed the appeal, and added a rider to their decision, as follows: “The committee of the Kennel Club do not see how the committee of the Toy Dog Society could have done otherwise than have gone by their veterinary eureeon’s certificate.” The chairman of the Kennel Club, addressing the appellant, further amplified the decision of hia committee as follows: “If you could prove that the veterinary surgeon was incompetent or anything like that, you would have some ground for objecting to It is decision, but when you. have a man of repute and he givre His opinion—at most it is his opinion —that a certain animalthas a certain disease, you cannot go beyond it. I am afraid we cannot go any further.” As in the case of a certain letter, the,pith of this decision is in the postscript, which makes dog show societies secure, in cases of d’sense at shows, in the verdicts of their own qualified veterinary surgeons, against any amount of rebutting evidence, except where “incompetence” can be proved. Th s ruling of the Kennel Club Committee is a very Important and far-reaching one, and especially so in face of the fact of the committee, we believe. in a similar appeal case some time ago (wh’oh was never reported in the GazettT having come to a different decision. We can quite see that jf qualified veterinary surgeons, whose position as veterinary examiners of dogs at shows is invariably an honorary one and often an arduous dutv. are to have their decisions contested afterwards, and their munions controverted by outside or unofficial practitioners. few veterinary surgeons will care to accept such positions in connection with dog shows, for the conflict of scientific veterinary opinion on record in such oases is simply extraordinary. apart from the justice of the case, it is quite obvious, from tbe point of view of noliov. that if dog shows are to be provided with veterinary surgeons to make very necessary examinations, which, according to (Tub rules, are compulsory., the TTonn-el C’yb is : n honour bound to supnort dog show societies who comply with their rules, bv protecting their appointed and duly qualified officials. A surgeon, writing to the Home papers relative to bulldog “type,” says he quite .agrees that breeding for too short backs in bulldogs is thoughtless and cruel. He adds: ilulldog breeders expect Nature to perform a physical impossibility—Le., a bitch with a narrow pelvis to give birth to pups with wide shoulders, large skulls, and blunt muzzles 1 If the exceedingly narrow pelvis is what the 'standard’ advocates, then the ‘standard’ is making for the extinction of the breed. But docs not the ‘standard’ only mean that compared with the width of the characteristically broad shoulders of a bulldog the hindquarters necessarily will appear narrower? Surely it is time that bulldog judges recognised the imperative importance of this matter and penalised bitches which are anatomically unfit to reproduce their kind. This is a matter that should be taken up by all the bulldog clubs and seriously discussed. If there were a few more actual breeders of bulldogs on the committees of these clubs, this vital question would have received more attention in the ‘standard’ description of what is required in a bull bitch. But, so far as I can discover, no special mention of a bull bitch’s points is made in either of the two existing bulldog ‘standards ’ With regard to the vexed question of ’typo,’ are there not too many amateur specialist bulldog'judges? Does not the confused placing of the many ‘types’ in the prize-ring follow inexperience and ignorance? I asx these questions merely because I have invariably found the Judgment of the all-round judge to be the most consistent to_ ‘type.’ ’ The small curl on a retriever is bred—it cannot be made artificially. The coat can bo improved in curl by careful treatment, such as, after washing to allow the dog to dry itself by shaking, and the while pressing the curls down «fth a spongo or cloth until the dog is perfectly dry. Of course, loose hairs may bo taken out, and the hair clipped on the head to a straight line on the occiput. The tail of a retriever must not bo cut.

Mr C. J. Davies, a recognised authority on dog-broeding and roaring, says: “At about three weeks old puppies will be beginning to get upon their legs, and will bo ready to take some light food. Many people give puppies a little cow’s milk or bread and milk at this stage; indeed, there are quite well-known fanciers who are reputed to attempt to rear almost entirely upon this mixture. Needless to say, they meet with no success, and have never come to tho front as breeders. Cow’s milk has been said by some to ‘give’ puppies worms. This assertion is probably rather wide of the truth, though there is no doubt that milk fed puppies are peculiarly liable to suffer severely from these pests. Cow’s milk is of a totally different composition from bitch’s milk. The latter is very rich containing something like three times as much fat, six times as much casein, nearly five times as much albumen, and half as much milk sugar, as cow’s milk. Ewe’s milk is the richest in point of fat which it might be possible to get for puppies, and some specially-selected goats give milk which is nearly equal to the average ewe’s in this respect. There is no milk procurable, however, which even nearly approximates In composition to that of tho bitch; hence tho fact that puppies fail to thrive when milk enters largely into their dietary. Cow's milk no doubt sets in curds in the puppies’ stomachs, gives them indigestion, and hence creates a favourable environment for the rapid propagation of worms. Round

worms can only thrive and multiply ittl suitable environment, and this envu'onmfi 13 > set up in an unhealthy ahmetary cam Worms will not flourish where food is bail perfectly and quickly digested and poMil on. The teeth, stomach, and mtestineas the dog are naturally formed for the dig! tion of flesh food. The teeth are sluu and adapted %or tearing and biting i flesh; the stomach is simple and compaj tively small, and is lined throughout wi a membrane which secretes gastric juid Animals which are not meat feeders hai only a portion of the stomach lined, wtl gastric-secreting membrane. The fact, tbi the entire stomach of the dog is So lined! an indication that the animal is adapt* for the assimilation of a flesh diet and at for bulky and starchy foods, which tb class of stomach is unable to deal with; any quantities ” Prince Edward Island is witnessing M expansion in the industry of black , fo > breeding (according to Baily s Magazine The remarkable success of keepers in ham ling and rearing the capricious royal bled and silver fox became generally known an verified only so recently as the year 191 or thereabouts; and the fact that the skit of these '•o' — come to command the highest prices on Hj London market, not .1... quote. j from £3OO to £6OO, partly on the basis c an already accepted reputation, came light at about the same time. The desit quickly sprang up among Prince Edwa? Island farmers to secure good fox stoc and engage in this lucrative industry,. an<l as the mevement gathered headway, th original owners found in a short time tbs they could gain larger sums by selling thei foxes for breeding purposes than by shi( ping the pelts to England. Prices for breet ing stock rose from £BOO per pair in 191 to £I2OO per pair in 1911 ; amd in 191 £2OOO was not an unusual price; whili according to Mr Wesley Frost, the U.S.q Consul at Charlottetown in the isle, muc higher amounts are credibly reported t have been paid in not a few instances. !>5 high proportion of the disengagablo capiti on the island has already found its w*

into the industry, and bidding from outsidi capital is becoming considerable.