FANCIERS' COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 51

FANCIERS' COLUMN.

Tho Otago Witness has been appointed the oJS> jiai organ for the publication oi announcement* »/ the Dunedin Fanciers' Olnb.

THE KEKNEi.

EX TEEROa.

Fa-riders and breeders of dog* are cordially In* rited to contribute to this column. "Terror" wIS endeavour to make this department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do this bo must have the 'co-operation oi his readers, hence he trusts this invitation will be oheeriuliy responded to. Mr Nimmo Scott (Timaru), breeder.of fox terriers and of Peggy Royal fame, was in Dunedin recently, and visited some of our local fanciers. At Mr Ben Ellis's kennels he took some photographs, and expressed himself greatly pleased with the arrangements and conveniences he there saw. A measure which the United States Government is urging Congress to pass at once is an appropriation of 40,000d0l (££000) to enable the War Department to buy dogs for military uses. The Bill also authorises the Secretary of War to accept dogs presented to 'the department. The use of' dogs in the army has (says an English paper) been approved by the War College, as well as by Major Gorgas, Sur-geon-general of the army; while the example of the French army, which is now using 12,C00 dogs, demonstrates the necessity of quick action. A report prepared by the French military authorities for the guidance of the United States War Department states that great use has been' made of dogs for military purposes. More than 20,000 of these animals are found in the fighting area, some serving faithfully as trench sentries, some as couriers carrying messages from the front to the rear, some succouring the Wounded, and hundreds watching and assisting in the guarding of prisoners behind the lines. Regularity in feeding both puppies and adult dogs is necessary to ensure the maintenance of their health and general condition. By establishing regular hours for feeding one. not only saves food, but also induces, growth and health. If dogs are allowed to remain too long without food they will become ravenous and probably bolt what they ea't without masticating it properly. This entails an unnecessary strain on the digestive organs, and briugs about several bowel complaints. Some dog-owners feed their dogs twice a clay and in cases three times. A sporting man who does a lot of field shooting with his pointers has adopted the plan of giving only one meal a day, and that m the evening. He states that the provision of water to drink is all that is necessary when he is shooting over the dogs, and adds that they soon become accustomed to the method and do more and better work than if "they were fed at all times. Puppies undoubtedly do better when suitable food is supplied to them . at regular intervals, and if they are reared under proper conditions- there is no doubt that they will give the most satisfactory results in every respect. ; "Talking of dogs,' writes an old handler of retrievers at field trials, who is now recuperating in England after an especially arduous time in France, "reminds me that, while in a hospital that was frequently bombed, the dogs ,in a kennel not far away howled continuously whenever a German aeroplane was about, while when any of ours were in the air the dogs took not the least notice. It is a fact that the dogs (I wish I knew their breed, but I could not get at them), could actually tell .the difference of the two engines; their warning, when the Germans came over was invaluable." . The German Red Cross" dogs are not only trained to guide blind soldiers from one well-known spot to another, but they learn to take their proteges through crowded streets, over busy crossings and bridges, through narrow, doorways and "•ates, bes ; de rivers and canals, safely and swiftly. The dogs are trained to bark at all obstacles, and to sit down when they come to a kerb. With their bodies they push the blind man gently through open doorways or along narrow foot-bridges, somewhat as a sheepdog guides his sheep. The most remarkable thing about these do°-s (says 'the Illustrierte Weltschau) is that their training seems so to have developed their understanding that, when an unexpected emergency arises, they arc capable of grasping the situation and doing what is necessary to protect the blind man from harm.—Daily Express. A Durham pitman named Patrick Hobin, of the D.L.1., has escaped from a German punishment camp at Burgsteinfurt, and reached his home at Sacriston. In telling the story to an Empire News representative, Hobin said after making two attempts to escape he was a marked man ; but the authorities, with the idea of making him more amenable to discipline, raised him to the post of interpreter. Then his advice to his comrades to refrain from working on a Sunday, as ordered, caused further trouble, and ho was dispatched to the pun ishmenfc camp. Here Hobin soon diecovered that he was not far from the Dutch border, and accordingly laid his plans to escape. He prepared a crude compass and

a map, and then declared to his pals that he would "either go 'through or die." A Russian prisoner, while running from tho camp, was chased by a bloodhound, and in tho presence of guards torn about the throat- eo severely that death occurred within two hours. Tho man was shown to the other prisoners, including Hobin, in order that he might act as a warning. Hobin nevertheless completed his plans. At a_ given signal, while on a working party, his comrades directed tho guards' attention to a supposed .aeroplane, and while all were searching tho heavens he hastened off. The foggy morning favoured him- in his dash for freedom. Ho ran a good distance, and then waded in a canal for half a mile to break the scen't of the bloodhounds. Ho was granted his passports in Holland, and finally reached London. At the War Office he was the recipient of many congratulations .