THE KENNEL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16737, 19 May 1922, Page 3

THE KENNEL.

AMONGST THE CANINES, (By ” GREYHOUND.”) Mr J. S. Durie, of Woolston, has a very promising litter of seven from his Australian bred Yootha. Black Diamond by her kennel mate Glendon Sunrise. Mr E. Bell, of lin wood, has obtained a fine litter of live pups from his Cocker Spaniel bitch, Floss. They at© by Churn, owned by Mr A. Dawson. Mr J. H. Baldock has mated his Pomeranian bitch, Brookland Orange Girl to his own dog Lindum Dainty Boy. The same fancier recently lost his nice little imported bitch Ribblesdale Midge, who died from injuries received in a fight. It is interesting to know that dog showing in the States and Canada- on account of the vast distances that shows are apart, makes it a rich man’s game, and better prices can be obtained there than in any other country. The average American or Canadian will not quibble at the price, providing that the dog can win. Fish as a diet for a change is good or to add lustre to the coats of dog* intended for show' purposes, of the smooth-coated breeds. Rearers of young puppies should never run out of lime-water. It is most useful for acidity of the stomach, indigestion, distemper, dysentery, and any stomach ailments. Very few dog-owners are aware of the fact that “ docking ” tails is illegal, although so far no one has ever been taken to court over it. Th© Dunedin Fanciers’ Club is holding its annual show in June. Entries close on May 20, with Mr E. 8. V ilson, the secretary, from whom schedules may be obtained. Judge Otto A. Rosalsky of Brooklyn, N.Y., sentenced a negro to 90 days in the penitentiary for stealing a pet bull dog belonging to Mrs Jennie Warren, states the “ R.S.P.O.A. Gazette of West Australia. In pronouncing sentence Judge Rosalsky paid the folio wing high tribute to dogs in general: “ Probably this dog has done more for h'uman society than you ever have. According to history, dogs have changed the currents of modern civilisation. A learned judge of the Court of Appeals of this State has decreed that the stealing of a dog is as bad as stealing tlm funds of a bank. According to his decision, when we call to mind the small spaniel that saved the life of William of Orange, and faithful St Bernard which, after a storm in the Alps, starts out in search of lost travellers, the claim that the nature of the dog is base and that he should oe left a prey to every vagabond who chooses to steal him will not receive ready assent-.” \rhe practice of malting animate closely related to each other is always perplexing to the novice who examines the extended pedigrees of famous dogs, says a writer in the “ Dog World,” (England). Giving tho example of a champion bull dog, whose sire was also his grandsire, a reader asks: “Is it necessary to inbreed in order to get typei /and champions, and to go so near as sire and daughter and dam an i son?” I may assure my friend that, while inbreeding does not represent the secret process of getting a champion, it is nevertheless the one sure method by which type and character aro retained and intensified. Within limits it is entirely justified. By mating a dog and bitch of the same family you concentrate and enhance the uniform inheritable qualities into one line instead of two. No animal can transmit a qaulity which it does not itself possess or which none of its ancestors possessed, and to jump about from one strain to another is fatal if you want to preserve a desired type. The relationship ought of not, of course, to be too close, or it will lead to degeneracy. The union of father with daughter or of mother with son is better than an alliance between brother and sister. I consider tho best union is one between cousins. But inbreeling in any case, .should never be at tempted by an amateur. Success depends entirely upon a scientfic study of biology and pediS grees backed by long experience. For tho preservation of general t;\~pe it is insufficient simply to keep to one selected strain without attempting hazardous experiments. In bulldog* there are some six distinct strains of definite type, and it is a mistake to move front one to another.