THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3574, 12 September 1922, Page 25

THE KENNEL.

By

Terror.

Fanciers and breeders of dogs are cordially Invited to contribute to this column. “Terror” wiU •ndearour to make this department 33 interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do thfi he must have the co-operation 01 his reader*, hence he trusts this invitation will be cbeerfuLlj responded to. —Mr J. Cooper’s Irish terrier bitch Koscrea Rhu has whelped to her kennel mate Roscrea Rebel t>wo bitches and one dog. —Mr J. B. Williams lias disposed of his black retriever I wrote about some time ago to a new fancier. —Mr D. M'Kenzie has disposed of his Ch. Airedale dog Shirley Mack to an Australian buyer at the record price of £3OO. The biggest price yet paid for a colonialbrcd dog. —Should a challenge certificate be a warded at a show when there is only one entry in the class? This is a question of importance, and if it is left to the discretion of the judge it simply means that ho has to award, or refuse, without the advantage of comparison. Or course, if lie happens to know the dog, and to have met it in good company he is in a position to decide, but' otherwise he cannot know whether the exhibit is worthy or not of a certificate. “Standard,” an Australian scribe, says: —“The question as to whether challenge certificates should be awarded to a dog when there is no competition has again cropped up'. Some writers express the opinion that the honour should not be given unless there is more than one dog in the class. In my opinion, this is a matter which should be left entirely to the discretion of the judge or judges who may be officiating. If they are of the opinion that a dog is worthy of being awarded a challenge certificate, it is their duty to award it whether there is any competition or not. The judge should, however exorcise discretion in making the award. Should the dog be only a fair or moderate specimen, the challenge shotdd certainly be withheld. But when a really good dog is shown lie is as much entitled to win a challenge as if there were a dozen or more in the class. A good animal should always be recognised, and the full value should be given to his respective qualities, whether there is competition or not.” —Fox terriers. —The following reference by Our Dogs to the judging of fox terriers at the Royal (England) by Mr Vicary will convey some ideas to New Zealand fanciers: Disappointment, we are told, is often “the salt of life.” Disappointment was certainly rife at the “Royal” at Cambridge. Mr Vicary has the reputation of being a law' unto himself. “Give me one with same substance about him, big ribs, big quarters, deep brisket, that long reachy neck with sloping shoulder's. Come on all of you. What do I care if they did say they should be kept home at stud or put down a drain pipe. That's the sort I like.” So the "Wranglers,” the "Diggers,” the “Emblems,” and the “Cobblers” w r ere all “on it,” and- hey presto! this judge, who swears he will have substance and size, and who gave Ch. Wycollar Boy a v.h.c., awarded to what was probably the lightest of the first six dogs, the championship. Oh, Mr Vicary, you’ve certainly got a bit of a twinkle in those merry eyes, and I’ll wager you lrave a sense of humour. However, we wore all delighted to see you once again judging one of your favourite breeds, and everybody acknowledged the infinite pains you took to find out the good points; and the others, of all the dogs led into the ring, under the existing depressing conditions. You certainly were a hero to “carry on” without your lunch. We were all satisfied that you pleased yourself, as you always do, so I hazard a guess that all of us will be under you again at the Fox-terrier Club Show, which club. I note, like the W.F.T.A., is holding two shows in one year. But say, who was the exhibitor who had trie temerity to ask you to look at his dog outside the ring, and so caused you to look so grievously hurt? You surely, when you remarked that the stewards would not allow it, were not aware that one judge, not the gentleman from Newmarket,, but the other chap, took the Wire Fighting Action out of the ring at the Royal at Manchester to have a better look at him, and did not. the Wire judge at Bristol take half a dozen out? One of the all-rounders did the same at Cardiff. One also recalls Mr Tosco Bradley, at the W.F.T.A. Show, taking the terriers out of the ring on to the road 1 All this may be a bit unorthodox, but it is sound common sen se ! —-The Workingman’s Racehorse.—“ Our Dogs” eays:—“The followers of the Workingman’s racehorse will have a unique opportunity of witnessing a. series of Whippets racing in the near future, which have been organised by some local exponents of the sport to come off in Dunedin. Valuable prizes have been offered, and some of the most outstanding competitors have already entered, and the meeting promises to be an unqualified success.

Speaking of mental impressions, the Dog World (England) says, inter alia: “In tire human subject birth-marks, malformations, and monstrosities are commonly ascribed to the effect of external influences on the brain of the mother during pregnancy ; but their occurrence is usually due to physical rather than mental causes. Most frequently they are the result of violent shock to the system, and consequent organic disturbance. In the lower animals the effect of purely mental impression is seldom perceptible. But it is not against scientific experience to say that a sensitive brood mare or bitch in whelp may be materially affected by her environment, and to talk of pre-natal impression is not mere superstition. In all times and countries breeders have acted on the belief that the offspring of the domesticated animals are physically influenced by exterior conditions prior to their birth, as to witness the ingenious experiments by which Jacob with his rods of poplar and hazel, secured cattle of various colours and markings. Unquestionably a bitch's surroundings during the 63 days before her puppies are born should be of a kind to contribute to her peace of mind; they should not be sordid, violent, or ugly. Some modern breeders go further and argue that even the colour of her kennel determines the colour of her progeny, as that, if you want pure white puppies, (he Walls should be white. But the breeders of Dalmatians and Harlequin Great Danes do not appear to appreciate this theory, for it is not known that their kennels aro decorated either with spots or with parti-coloured patches. Jacob’s expedient is not to be relied upon. I do not believe that any artifice humanly devised could be so communicated to the embryo as to improve a puppy through the mentality of its dam; and it I urge that a breeding kennel should be made beautiful, it is Because beauty is dependent upon cleanliness, as cleanliness is at the foundation of good health.” —To indicate the complaint that a clog has contracted, the . following information may bo of value to some readers: —In skin trouble the skin is red, and it is yellow in liver trouble. With lung troubles the dog will usually spread its forelegs wider apart than if it is in good health. In liver trouble, such as gastritis, the dog will lie flat on its stomach. A healthy dog breathes 18 times a minute, and has a temperature at the rectum varying from 101.5 Fahr to 103 Fahr. A clinical thermometer is of the greatest help in diagnosing diseases, and every dog-owner should possess one. The eyes of the dog form another important indication to the dog’s health. In liver troubles the eye is yellow. In apoplexy, chorea, etc., it sometimes becomes bloodshot, and in debility it assumes a washy white colour. A soft cough frequently repeated points to bronchitis if the temperature is high, or catarrh if the temperature is normal or only slightly increased. A hard, short cough points to pleurisy. While on a visit to Invercargill Mr (>’ KeiMy paid a visit to Mr J. Doe’s kennels to see the inmates: Cockers, Poms., Pekis., Airedales, Irish and fox terriers. He was also shown several litters of puppies, and secured a nice dog pup by Mirihiku Put— Rabymere Smart Set. Both parents are prize-winners. The dam, it may be mentioned, secured gold medal for best smooth or wire puppy under Mr S. Crabtree at Dunedin. —Mr Doe has mated Iris Pomeranian bitch Te Whare Freckles to ch Sunkist Billiken, and has sent Ahuriri Selection on a visit to ch Professor.