THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3383, 15 January 1919, Page 40

THE KENNEL.

Bt Tbsrob, Fanciers and breeders of dogs are oordially Incited to contribute to this column. "Terror"' will endeavour to make this department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do thil ho must havo the co-operation of his readers, benoe h» trusts this Invitation will h* cheerfully Responded to. Mr W. Pellitt writes to inform mo that he nearly lost his well-known champion Irish terrier Champion Tawny Thatch, a \dog -which has gained a reputation in the 'Australian show ring and at the stud. Thatch was missed when out for a stroll jwith his master on the day following the Stratford race 3, and suspicion pointed to the faofc that some dog fancier had persuaded the champion to take a journey, and police and telegraph aid was invoked. The' mystery was ojeared when a telegraph Jnessago reached Mr Pellett that an Irfsh

terrier was seen to jump out of a southbound horse-box and was tied up at Eltham, and the animal proved to be the Stratford champion. The owner intends taking further proceedings. I understand that Mr Doe, of Inveroargill, will shortly, bo giving me some information regarding a new importation to his kennels which Irish terrier enthusiasts will bo glad to hear of. A correspondent to an Australian contemporary reports that his Australian terrier has proved herself an excellent foster mother for a brood of ducklings. —Mr W. Beilby, the well-known Victorian kennel man, has imported the fox terrier dog Octavious. from England. He is by ch. Orkadian ex Marceda, and first saw the light in Mr Desmond O'Connell's kennels. Octavious is reported to be slightly on the big side, but, according to English authorities, he is a dog of high class; He is the sire of .Southern Symbol, which -went through all hie classes at the recent Royal Show in Melbourne. It is claimed that there are many big winners in England who also acknowledge Octavious as the sire of their dogs. . Dog fanciers and breeders ,in South Australia evidently believe in Hhe promotion of canino clubs. The latest proposal is to add another to the already Ion" list of specialist and kennel clubs and associations. It is intended to designate it the "Canine Specialist Club of South tralia." One of the originators, says the ' Mail (Adelaide), writes as follows: This club promises to be something far ahead of anything that has yet been formed m South Australia on matters touching the dog. Its idea will be to-foster anything that will enhance the welfare of the dognamely, lectures, collection of information from all sources on every breed, and eventually running a show something on these lines:— Birthday Stakes, Derby, Oaks, Sires and Dams' Produce Stakes. Ine matter will be thoroughly considered from every standpoint, and it is hoped that the club will be started right away. It is also the intention of the club to formulate rules that will preclude a person ,from becoming a member until the said person receives a unanimous vote." ~ Lady Smith-Dorrien, president of the Blue Cross Fund of Our Dumb Friends League, who was accompanied by General Smith-Dorrien, gave an account of her recent visit of inspection to the hospitals for horses and dogs in France at a meeting hold •on Julv 24 at the Mansion House. With the aid of some very interesting lantern slides she described how war dogs, l of which there are 18,000 under the medical care of the society in France, are employed by the French army. Dogs are used as sentinels, carriers,_ and despatchcarriers, to guard German prisoners, to seek out the wounded, for leading, the blind, with convoys of small vehicles for carrying munitions and food, and for rat-hunting.' Many dogs had been "mentioned in despatches. Instances were given in which a dog had been the means of bringing reinforcements and saving a. serious situation by arriving with a despatch three-quarters of an hour before the man who had 'been sent on foot with a duplicate. dog passed successfully 'through the enemy barrage on six occasions without being wounded, and on the seventh occasion delivered a despatch to his master Just before he died from two bullet wounds that he had received. A case was also mentioned in which important information was mysteriously conveyed to the Germans,., and by tracking a treacherous Abbe a dog found a'buried / telophone wire by means of which the messages had been sent by the soy. who suffered the penalty of his misdeeds. —(Cheers.) At another time in an extremely dense fog. a sentry dog kept growling, po a mitrailleuse was fired in the direction indicated by the dog, with the result that when the fog lifted seven dead Germans were found lying a few yards from the trenches—(Cheers.) Two Chows were on one occasion harnessed to a mtirailleuse, which otherwise would "have been abandoned to the Germans, and, they saved the gun. —("Hear, hear.') Wounded and sick _ dogs were conveyed to and from hospital in an ambulance sent as a gift from Connecticut. Dogs had been also carried in a hound van once belonging to the Eridge Hunt. This was captured by the Germans, but most of the dogs broke loose and returned to the French lines. The much-dreaded sentry-go lost half its terrors wften the sentry had a door beside him.—f" Hear, hear.") — Morning Post. ' '