DOG SHOWS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 736, 14 April 1904, Page 11

DOG SHOWS

Whatever may be said against the dog show, says “The Field,’’ it certainly has this advantage—that it popularizes a breed and brings those interested in a certain variety together, so, that they can compare notes and benefit by each other’s experience. It also, no doubt, in the main, tends to the breeding of dogs of more or less one recognized type, though it must be admitted that this type in some breeds varies periodically. On the other hand, is the show of use or harm to the man who loves a sporting dog for the work it can do, as opposed to its mere appearance ? The answer is that, as at present conducted, shows do an immense amount of harm to sporting dogs, for in most breeds to win at a show, a dog must not merely be absolutely true to type, but must have all the so-called points of its breeds over-developed to such a degree that it is often a perfect monstrosity. The main object for which it was orignally differentiated and bred, namely, for work, seems to be lost sight of in the mad endeavour to breed an animal which, though often lacking in courage and in constitution, has its show points more exaggerated than any other. With regard to the sportsman’s view of a dog show, why is it that the average shooting man will buy a gun dog almost anywhere except at a show ? Why does the man who wants a working hound practically never go to the show bench ? Briefly, the reason is this :To the eternal shame of the dog show exhibitor, not only is it possible to show and win with a dog that has never been in any way trained for or broken to the work for which it has been bred, but if is often actually profitable. The dog or hound may be absolutely worthless from a working point of view, yet because of its looks —looks, it must be borne in mind, which tell nothing of its silly brain, or its heart of a cur, or its absolute physical incapability on account of extreme nervousness to last cut a long day or stay on to the end of the run—yet because it happens to possess the points of the breed in an exaggerated form, it wins its first prize after first prize, and, worse than all, is used at the stud or for breeding and so perpetuates its shortcomings. And this is not an overdrawn or fanatical view of the situation, but is, alas ! the unfortunate truth. It is not only that the average show dog is merely unpracticed because most of its life is an artificial one, but that it is never trained at all, often, too often, being incapable of an. real work.

Those who go in for gambling, even be it ever so mildly, are very superstitious. They are always on the look out for any little sign or coincidence that will give them a lead. Thus we can well believe in the truth of the following extract, which I take from “ Sport,” in which it is told that a fly at Monte Carlo Casino recently cost the proprietors of the gambling rooms, it is estimated, about £5OOO. The story of how this came about is a fine instance of the supersti-

tion of gamblers. The fly alighted on No. 13 of the roulette table at a time when the players had suffered a persistent run of bad luck. The superstitious gamblers exchanged covert glances, and searched their pockets for money withl which to stake. In a few minutes the “ middle dozen ” —that is to say, the numbers 13 to 24—were liberally covered with stakes Then an elderly gambler arose, and piled napoleons round the square on. which the fly had alighted, thus backing the numbers from 10 to 17. Less confident players staked smaller amounts on the “transversales.” The ivory marble was sent spinning round the roulette wheel, there was a moment of suspense, and then the croupier announced the winning number, But, what is far more extraordinary, the same number came up three times in succession.

If Englishmen are not very careful and alert, they will eventually lose their prestige as th'* breeders of thoroughbred stock. Other countries are rapidly overhauling them. For years the Fnn'h, German and Russian buyers have been outbidding them at the ringside. V. hat is more, they will have to make some radical alterations in the management of their race-meetings. Says an exchange: —“ When compared to racing in France, the expenses in England are enormous, and only the other day we were talk;ng over the matter with Mr Frank Gardner, who used to keep a fare racing stud at l oxhill, Hilts, and sold the entire lot at the Newmarket December sale in 190*2. Although Mr Gardner had a very fair share of luck indeed on the English turf, and could not complain of not winning races, his balance was always on the wrong side, as he never had one sing’o winning year. Tn Erance (Mr Gardner informed us) his expenses were not more than cne-third of what they were in 1 n~land. while the prizes were more substantial

lhe mus remnkible quiLty ob.'nined fom crossing the old English breed of horse with Eastern blood (says *' Augur,” of the “ London Sporting Life”), was unquestionably speed. There were no doubts about the stoutness of Arabs and Persians, or of English horses, but they were slow in comparison with all that has been seen of the so called thoroughbred Eclipse could distance all his competitors for speed, and it must have struck the late Admiral Rous, v ry forcibly that stamina had nothing to do with a general rate of speed when he declared, in.a le '■ er to the “ Times ” that the greatest jade mivl t beat slower ones over ten miles. I recollect the Admiral speaking to me at Tattersall’s one afternoon, and saying that until be had seen Gladiator he had always thought Bay Middleton the bjst horse ever foaled, as his speed was so extraordinary This was really the case, as Bay Middleton could i-imply canter in front of his companions, and was only stretched once, by Elli-, when the ground was heavy VVe had g t into that ax ra- rJina-y speed in the thirties, as there was Bay Middleton, Queen of Trumps, Plenipotentiary, and Crucifix, all gifted with exci ptional speed, and in tracing everything down that has benefited the country, apart eveu from racing, there is a great deal to turn back to in favour of these immensely speedy ones. Bay Middleton was probably very injudiciously bred from. His speed was so much thought of that .all the fastest mares were sent to him, under the impression* that the quality would be still further increased. But it was like putting hot coals upon hot coals, and the results were hot, fiery things, fretful, bad in temper, and moreover fragile in. limbs. An almost accidental service to one of colder blood produced a counterpart of Bay Middleton again in The Flying Dutchman, an< i I ana not sure whether these two extra, ordinary horses for speed have not done more for England than any others.

. The question of stroke in match play has been discussed ad nauseum, and as I have before remarked, there is a good deal to be said on both sides. “Golf Illustrated” is a great advocate for match play, and has asked for the opinion of the leading brofessionals, Vardon, Taylor, Braid, and Herd who are unanimous for stroke play. They all say stroke play is the real test of golf. There is one reason, which I have before mentioned why stroke play is better for the professionals. This Vardon brings out by saying the luck of the draw is an obstacle. Advocates for match play can never claim that that plan shows the second best man. For instance, Taylor plays Braid and beats him, then Taylor plays Vardon and beats hun, thus Taylor wins the championship, and Verdon is second, while Braid is only a semi-finalist. Both Baid and Verdon have been beaten by Taylor, but there is nothing to say which is the better of Braid or Vardon, but the luck of the draw has given it to Vardon. As this carries not only kudos, but probably an extra £lO as well, it will be seen how important this is to a professional, though it is not so much to an amateur.

. Remarking on the fact that particularly sensitive mares will not readily suffer their foals to be exchanged, when that course becomes desirable, Count Lehndrof observes that, as the mare recognises her own foal chiefly by the smell, it is possible to deceive her. A little aniseed oil is rubbed into the coats of the two foals to be exchanged, for a few days, until the dames have grown used to the swell; th&n the mares are removed from their boxes for a time sufficient to allow the pressure of milk in the udder to become inconvenient, when, the foals having been exchanged from one box into the other, the mares are brought back, and each accepts the other’s f oil as her own.

The Ncith-West American Indian pony, commonly called the Cayuse, is extraordinarily expert and vigorous as a kicker when he gives his mind to it. The following refers to the team of horses attached to the “North Pacific stage coach at Ainsworth, Washington Territory : — “ One of the cavuses threw himself down on the pole to try and break it, which, it transpired, he had clone once before ; but this time his outer trace not beingfastened, he slipped under it, and was thus, as it were, caught in chancery. But how he did kick I Hitherto, my acme of rapid motion was one of Thornycroft’s lavnch engines, revolving at 700 and odd per minute ; but the cayuse with his hind legs beat the pace of a Thornycroft hollow. With a rapidity so lightning-like that each ‘ pull and thrust ’ were indistinguishable from each other, the baffled cayuse rained blows on the splinter bar. His diiection and aim were accurate to a degree, and not even being beatin with a trace chain while his head was being sat cn ,diverted in any appreciable degree his attention from the assault on the splinter bars No serious damage was done, however, and once started, the cayuse proved a capital one to go.”