Mackenzie Collie Dog Club

South Canterbury Times, Issue 8425, 23 January 1896, Page 1

Mackenzie Collie Dog Club

The annual business meeting of- the Mackenzie County Collie Dog Club was held at the Burke’s Pass Hotel on December 28th, but owing to the sparse attendance of members and the fact that most of them being Scotchmen, highly endowed with their national bump , of caution, they thought, taking into, consideration the disastrous effects of last winter, that it would be safer to adjourn to 18th January, and in the interim find out the amount of support which could be depended on from the public. Accordingly the adjourned meeting was held last Saturday, and proved to be one of. the best attended, most representative, and enthusiastic meetings yet held in connection with the club. Within a few minutes of the opening of the meeting a guarantee was got in the room of close on £4O, also sufficient sheep of the proper class for the ensuing trial. All this (notwithstanding that the mortality of sheep in this district and all the MacJ kenzie County from the effects of last win; ter is over three-fifths of the whole number) goes to show that the Collie Club is a permanency at Burke’s Pass. The valley of the pass seems by nature exactly formed for the work. Also the Pass is the boundary line of the great pastoral country of the back, and the agricultural country of the front, and as the club gives substantial prizes for -the work of dogs suitable to both districts, there could certainly not be a more fitting place to meet. The club also intends in future to give prizes to the best bred dogs, bred on lines to suit the work which they follow in this part of the country, as it is well known that the fancy prize-taking collie of the present day, although highly fitted for a faithful lapdog, is very deficient in some of the principal points required in the hardy intelligent collie of the back country. After the election of office-bearers for the coming year, and a few minor matters had been attended do, it was arranged to give the same amount of money in stakes this year as was ; -given last, and to hold the trial on Thursday, the 26th March, programmes for the same to be printed at once and distributed in the district. A hearty vote of-thanks to'the chairman brought dhe.meeting to a close.