THE KENNEL,

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16749, 2 June 1922, Page 3

THE KENNEL,

NOTES AND NEWS. (By “GREYHOUND.”) Mr C. Brice, of Dunedin, the wellknown Cocker Spaniel fancier, died recently after a short illness. He was the owner oi that, good black dog Melrose Bruce. I>r Maitland has sold a iernon roan Cocker dog pup to Mr H. Oitley, of YVyndham. The puppy is bred from Southboro Sentinel—Southboro Siren. A Greymouth fancier. Mr J. M’Lean, recently purchased a Scottish Terrier dog puppy from a Sydney breeder. Th© pup's sire is a son of Oh. Torridon Gearran, now owned by Miss Ballautyne, of Ricoarton. Mr G. Osborne, of Addington, has been compelled to go into hospital for an operation. He is a. very popular member of the Canterbury Kennel Club. In connection with the use of powder for cleaning dogs’ coats, an English fancier writes:—“l am pleased that a protest lias at last appeared regarding the dirty condition that our favourite, the Wire fox terrier, enters the ring on too many occasions—and some of the eldest fanciers offend the most in tins disregard of the Kennel Club’s ruling Whitening or any other matter in the coat is quite foreign to a natural condition of the coat. Lamp black, cobalt blue or vermilion red only in colour are more objectionable, and would not be allowed so readily as this glaring excess of chalk. If the judges would take a strong line against these dirty whitened terriers like they do against, those which have had their hair clipped off: the skull in trimming, then the ’’gentleman of the terriers 55 would o© shown in a natural clean, condition, and most probably th© seats at many show i ling-sides would not be smothered with 1 debris. Personally I use chalk in my j cleaning operations every day. I quite i appreciate th© time and elbow grease required to satisfactorily remove it, but it can and should be done before a . dog is considered in clean show form. ' The natural texture of the wire jacket would be obvious, ivbereas at present we get th© liarsh feeling of lime, alum or magnesia. This would be an impossibility with a coat that had really been cleansed.” As the editor of “ Our j Hogs ” explains : “ It is perfectly legitimate to cleanse th© coat of any dog with powder, instead of washing, but j Kennel Club Rules provide that the ! powder must not be present in the coat when the dog is being shown in the ring. The proper course for you to have done was either to have called the attention of the secretary to the int i - ; dent you mention, or have lodged an objection to tbo dog yourself. Any dog that lias been “ painted ’’ is even more liable to objection and disqualification, and its owner to suspension. The shepherd’s dog that kills a slreep in the Old Country is doomed—the penalty is death. This is illustrated by a story of R. L. Stevenson told in j one of his essays of liow John Todd, j the oldest shepherd on the Pentland Hills, once stnv a dog he knew manoeuvring towards a pool of water behind Kirk Yetton. John lay close under a busli and* presently saw the dog come forth upon the edge of the water, and look about him to see if ho was observed. Then he plunged in ■and repeatedly washed himself over head and ears, and then—but now openly and with tail in air—strike homeward over th© hills. But the dog’s high intelligence did not save him. John reported his doings, and the animal “ was had out to a dykeside and promptly shot ’’ He was a sheep-eater; he bad betrayed his trust. Present day neglect of the Dandie Dinmont lias been demonstrated at recent important shows in England, anti friends of the one-time popular breed are bemoaning the fact of their being relegated to the background. The Handies are claimed to be second to none in intelligence, and they make delightful companions. According to official records, the most pc pular sporting dog in the Old Country to-day is the Cocker Spaniel. For j last year this breed came first in wmri-j her of registrations with 1220. the Lab- ' rador coming next with 650, Irish Set- j ters numbered 308. Pointers were 153 f