THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3619, 24 July 1923, Page 42

THE KENNEL.

By Tiuror. Vanelora and breeder* of dog* arc cordially tae •lieil to contribute to this column. "Terror’* wQ •ndeavour to make this department ae interesting ■nd np-to-date as possible, but in order to do Be most have tbe co-operation of bis readers. Bence be Irrnfta this invitation will be cheerfully Msponded to. —ln the course of a visit to Melbourne and Sydney, and to the chief centres in this Dominion, Mr Charles Bills, of this city, called upon Mr B. J. Shattook, of Essington, and purchased a pair of English. Terriers to the order of Mr li. O. Hazlett (Salisbury, Taieri). The dog is seven months old and is a son of Muti, out of Grendine Poko. The bitch is 161 b weight, aged eight months, and is by Sir Munro, out of Lady Cicil. Big fees have been paid for this pair, and as (so I am informed) Mr Sam Oabtree described them as the best of their breed he has ever seen, it is evident that Mr Hazlett has come into something of high quality. “Wattlebark” of the Australasian, has a complimentary note respecting these dogs at the time they were acquired by Mr Shattook. —On his wav down from Auckland to Dunedin, Mr Bills called in at various towns, Palmerston North, Napier, Wellington and Christchurch and elsewhere, and whilst in Hamilton he saw Mr Wilson, the secretary of the Kennel Club Show, and was informed that the club had to refuse entries for 45 do vs through lack of accommodation. As it was, they benched 260 dogs, and are now preparing to accommodate all comers for their next show. —Another purchase made by Mr Bills in lho course of his travels, was a Pomeranian —(his time for himself-—from the kennels of Mr Wood,.Christchurch. “Rex” the dog in question, is on Orange Sable, and is by Ribbindole King Pippin ex Honeydew Trixie. Rex was born on February 28 last and does not turn the scale at 21b.

—Mr M. J. Thompson (Mosgiel) informs me that his black Cocker bitch Patricia .Gunner has visited Mr A. Kidd’s Sylvan Majesty'. Patricia Gunner is by Vogel Gunner ex Miss Trixie. Mr A. A. Leighton, who officiated as judge at the Pom Club of Australia show in May last, in his comments on the show made one or two remarks interesting to fanciers generally. Inter alia, he said: “I’m much afraid that in many instances the only lime the exhibit was put on the lead was to enter the show ring. Consequently many dogs were heavily handicapped in this respect. Your rules do not permit trimming. Many exhibitors, I am sure, infringed, and with a few* of the exhibits it was most pronounced.” —Mr J. W. Thomas, Dunedin, is importing a tip-top smooth fox terrier bitch, particulars of which I will give later on. Ho intends mating her to his eh. Southboro Symbol dog. Mr J. B. Williams, Dunedin, has disposed of one of his English setter pups from Laverack Fancy. —Mr H. Ottley, Dunedin, has a fine litter of coloured cocker pups by' Heirloom ex Miss Trixie. He informs me he lias had several inquiries for pups. —Mr W. Henderson’s Irish terrier bitch Narrow Escape, by Rescue Rebel ex ch. Red Riot, is showing in whelp to her kennel mate F arndon Bandit, by cb. Koscren Ranger (imp.). These should produce something pretty good. A nice Irish terrier bitch from the north has been on a visit to Mr J. Cooper's R oscrea Rebel. A contributor to Our Dogs (Australia) says: “One of my best dogs took a fit when it was a puppy, and the best cure I found was four to five drops of nux vomica in a teacupful cf milk.” Discussing judges and judging, that great authority, Mr Herbert Compton, once wrote the following opinions from different owners: —“I consider that judges at dog shows have the whole success of a breed in their care. Incompetent, and, still worse, prejudiced judging does incalculable harm. Many a man is afraid of offending a friend, and to such a man I would say, ‘Don’t risk it; stay outside.’ Others desire io please all the exhibitors, and to these I would repeat the above advice. If a man has, in the kindness of his heart undertaken to judge, and discovers when the dogs are round him that he has undertaken a task beyond his ability, he must do the best he can .and realise for the future that his abilities lie in another direction. Why exhibitors should appear to a judge in the light of roaring lions, anxious to rend him to pieces, passes my knowledge. As far as my experience goes, the man who palpably does bis best, without fear or favour, and more especially if he has done his work m a methodical manner, has his errors readily excused. It is tho man who tries to please all exhibitors who brings upon himself universal condemnation for a weak-kneed performance. No man should bo allowed to adjudicate who is not- qualified in character as well as ability. A judge should be chosen for bis ability and integrity, and the person who makes Lis livelihood by trafficking in dogs, directly or indirectly, is not, in my opinion, a proper person to act in the capacity of a judge, and the person who studies bis pockets is not worthy of the name of judge. Judges should judge according to the recognised standard of the type of the breed, and not according to their own ideas. A judge who gets catalogue inform at ion from a ring steward should be disqualified, as no such pamphlet should be in the i-ing during judging and no one wearing a badge connected in any w r ay with the show should be allowed to'lead a dog in tbe ring. No officials, especially Ting” stewards, should handle or have anything to do with dopfs in the rings in which they are stewarding. Judging rings should be kept more strictly, and no exhibitor should address a judge about his exhibit. All judges should be specialists I would not allow owners to lead tlioir dogs in the ring. There certainly should be no combing or brushing the dog after it has entered the ring. Ail judges should be registered by the leading canine power. I should like to see. three judges in the ring instead of one, for judging is too much a. matter of vnai\ichi£il taste.” In writing and quoting these comments it is not intended to reflect in any particular on the body of men who year after year have been good enough to officiate at our various shows.