KENNEL NOTES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19803, 19 May 1934, Page 6

KENNEL NOTES

(By ‘'Mastiff”) Mastiff will be pleased to answer questions relative to dogs which may be addressed care “The Timaru Herald.” Mrs R. Y. White, owner of the Beechwood Kennels of English Setters, Styx, has disposed of a particularly promising' dog puppy to a Fairlie admirer of this breed Benedict of Beechwood is by the well-known winner Rapanui Ranger, who was best English Setter at the last Christchurch Show —the dam being Semaphore Jolly Countess by Ch. Arron Count. When matured this puppy should hold his own with the best on the show bench. Mr F. P. King, of Haitapu, Cambridge, has purchased a fine four months’ old Old English Sheepdog bitch from the Opihi Kennels, Fairlie. Sarah of Opihi is bji the imported pair Caedmon of Pastorale and Big Gem Robbery. Mr King hopes to start a kennel of this increasingly popular breed and has ordered an unrelated dog when available. This attractive breed is popular for utility purposes and for companions. Miss Leila Greig of the Chingford Kennels, has disposed of a fine Alsatian bitch puppy to an Invercargill fancier. She is by the great winning stud dog Ch. Wixhun of Rozarf, the dam being the well known Flash of Amaverne. Choosing a Dog. To the average person the choice of a dog offers no difficulty, for the sum total of their interest is just that of securing “a dog.” A quaint puppy of any breed, size, or description, if it can claim a bred at all, is secured, irrespective of whether the animal will develop into one most suitable, and are hopelessly disappointed when the poor creature turns out entirely different from their expectations. There are many, of course, who think of the various breeds they have seen at the shows, also sex, age, and suitability to the home, all in advance of the actual quest for the new member of the family. The choosing of a dog deserves more consideration and care than it oft times gets and many a dog would be much happier (adaptable as they are) in an environment most suited to its size, habits, and breed. The size of your dog should, of course, be relative to the accommodation available and it would often seem that the owner of limited accommodation and perhaps limited means, fails to realise when a dog of a large breed is purchased as a puppy how inconvenient it may be when the animal is fully grown. To the average owner dogs are not as much divided by show points as they are by size, appetite, and type of coat. For instance, a large dog of the sporting breeds would not be at all happy in a flat or backyard and his life in those surroundings may consequently be a wretched one. The failure to appreciate at the time of purchase the expense of properly keeping a dog partly explains why so many poor wretches are seen searching the garbage tins in the street, and find their way to the destructor stricken with disease. For town a terrier or a toy is most suitable. Sporting dogs, such as the setter, pointer, and spaniel, which need so much exercisd, do better in the country, though the lively cocker spaniel is a delightful companion in a town house. The long-haired or woolly dog are not at their best draggling round in wet muddy streets. There are owners, one would not call them dog lovers, who living in a restricted area, turn the poor wet shivering dog out in the hope that it will find somewhere to get its rain-soaked coat and body dry. Moreover, dogs with long or woolly coats need daily grooming, for nothing can look worse than a dog with a matted coat and more likely than not full of vermin. Before securing a dog all things should be taken into consideration, amount of space available, likewise the amount of food available, and the time that can be given daily to exercise and grooming. Again many owners take their dogs with them in cars and here space and weight have to be taken into consideration. And another thing to remember is that a thoroughbred dog, bought from a good kennel is for one thing usually the healthiest dog. For another thing, coming as he does from a long line of disciplined ancestors, he is almost inevitably the cleanest dog and quite apart from all practical consideration he is inevitably the handsomest dog. If you decide on a puppy, before separating him from his associations, ask the breeder to

give you a written diet sheet. A puppy’s digestive system abhors sudden changes. Write down every detail of the puppy’s present treatment so that the transfer to the new home may be made tolerable for the new member of the family.