The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)(about) |
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Saturday 15 June 1901
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16 corrections, most recently by mrbh - Show corrections
THE KENNEL.
BY F. F. L.
Dogs possess a remarkable faculty—the homing in- stinct or sense— which has not, I think, received enough attention on the part of scientists. Dogs have been known to be sent a couple of hundred miles in a case, in a closed railway van, and they have found their way back to their original home on being released. It is known that the pigeon finds his way back to his loft for hundreds of miles, because he is acquainted with certain landmarks whence he has before been flown. He is trained in stages, and from his position of vantage in the air he can discern with his wonderful eye the country surrounding. Such, however, is not the case with a dog, for he has but to follow his nose and use his peculiar knowledge. Who, then, shall say that a dog has no mind, and that he does not think almost as much as his often unobservant master, the human. The other day Mr. R. R. Machattie, who is well known throughout this and adjoining States as a gentleman of great experience in pastoral, live stock, and political matters, told the writer that some years ago he knew of " a pair of kangaroo dogs " that covered a dis-
tance of not less than 300 miles, on their way to a home that they wished to reach. Poor creatures, they came to a sad and untimely end. A valuable ram had been found killed, and these dogs were suspected. They were forthwith shot, and alas, too late, was found the mangled carcase of a wild dog, for which they had accounted. It was almost a case of Llew- ellyn's faithful hound Gelert over again. Some day may be given the remarkable line of country that
these dogs covered.
The photograph taken of the St. Bernard Belfort Buller for the " Sydney Mail " is a very good one,
and gives a fair idea of the proportions of Mt. Living- stone's young dog. One picture of him was snapped when he was standing carelessly and easily, broad side on to a standard measure. Unfortunately the lettering did not impress itself on the plate, but it was a good idea of Mr. W. Crane, jun., who is responsible for the very excellent like- ness of Sydenham Lion's best son in our pictorial contemporary. The dog stood in this way at the 36½in. mark. Here are some other measure- ments. He is 12½in round the forearm, and 7½in. below the knee. His skull in girth is 24in., and his girth 41in. His extreme length from tip of nose to tip of tail is 84in., and his weight, according to Mr. Livingstone, was on the first day of the show, the week before last, 175lb. He was then 17 months old, so it will be seen he is " a whopper ;" and for these measurements we can vouch. It will be seen from the production in the " Mail " that he stands as true as any fox-terrier, and his back is as straight as the proverbial die. With one or two exceptions, and those in foreface, and lack of perfect mark- ings in that property, he is certainly one of the most remarkable young dogs we have seen, and we know that a St. Bernard of his enormous stature has never been seen with superior legs and feet and back, for here as the photograph will prove he is as near per- fection as can be. If you just measure out 7ft. in a room you will gain an idea of what this Marrickville
St. Bernard measures over all.
In the above connection Mr. Solomon M. Steen- bhom writes :—" Re Belfort Buller. You state that Buller is one of a litter of 18, but only three survive
the bucket or disease. A few lines to tell you that
Mr. Livingstone, who is a friend of mine, sold to me a bitch puppy out of the litter, and she was one of the most lovely animals I ever saw. My people took her with them down the coast while on a pleasure trip, and when returning after a month's sojourn, the puppy got accidentally smothered in the train. Mr. Livingstone then gave me, as a present, the remain- ing sister, and I am in possession of her now. She is a much-admired animal, and although not so massive as her brother is still a fine one of her breed. There
are, therefore, only two left out of the litter." Here then are but the small remnant of an exceedingly large family. I have heard that Royal Geraint, the paternal grandsire of these puppies, was an immense dog, and that in Australia close on 70 guineas was offered for him under the hammer. His owner, how- ever, stuck out for his reserve, which was as above ; and, sad to say, this imported dog died a few weeks after the auction, which was conducted by Mr. Crane. The maternal grandsire is unknown, but the granddam is known. She was a bitch by the name of Countess, and looking over her pedigree I find a good deal of the blood imported by Mr. Ernest Stephen—who, by the way, introduced about the first of this beautiful variety to this continent. There are also some New Zealand dogs, all winners mentioned ; but, as before written, there appears to be a " mystery " about the sire of Countess, and it is not improbable that some shandy trick might have happened.
Another death after the late show is reported, and this the demise of the collie bitch puppy, Meg, the property of Mr. W. Killian. She was just over six months old, and by Monkland Bruce from Kenmore Molly, a daughter of Selwyn Eclipse and Ryde Lassie. Monkland Bruce is a much-improved dog, and will yet, perhaps, carry more coat. It will be remembered he won the championship at the last show, and he is certainly a collie to be reckoned with. He has nice substance, and a head that is taking, albeit he is just a trifle round over the eyes. Still, when he carries his ears well up, which he can, this defect is not so noticeable. He is a beautiful dark, rich sable in colour, and again a credit to that very successful sire, Glentworth Perfection, the property of Mr. Sidney Broomfield. It is wonderful what this dog gets, and from often moderate dams. Snowy, the mother of Glenworth Perfection, I have been told, belongs to that category, yet there we have a dog in Mr. B. C. Mundy's Monkland Bruce that got to the top of the tree at Gray's show. It is at the same time a fact that one dog was very prominent that was thought to be unworthy of that position, but then we may suppose that judges, often like doctors and lawyers, may agree to differ. Here it
may be mentioned that Mr. S. Broomfield has met with a severe accident. On Friday night of last week there was a severe fight all round in his kennel. There was a dust up between collies, bull-terriers, and others of other varieties. Going to stop the shindy in but pyjamas and slippers, an Irish setter ran out, and missing his mark at his dog, pinned Mr. Broomfield through the back of the left foot. He got a most severe mauling, indeed the
injuries are very severe.
Mr. J. L. Hughes, who owns some good Yorkshire terriers, has just imported a Yorkshire terrier bitch, she having arrived on the Star of England. She came from Mr. Foster, and arrived in beautiful con- dition. She is described as a brood bitch, but has a very good coat, that being quite 8in. in length. She is now in quarantine. Mr. Hughes also possesses one, Cumberland Lassie by name, and bred by Mrs.
Storer.
Among the fresh arrivals is Dr. Algernon Smith Marr, and an Irish terrier. This dog comes from Scot-
land, and it is said big money was refused for him subsequently to his purchase by Dr. Marr, who arrived on the Buteshire. The terrier is at Bradley's Head, an institution that is seemingly well patronised just
now.
There perhaps is not a more popular terrier in the world to-day than the red one—The Irish terrier. A writer in an English Exchange points out that the first-class for Irish terriers was given at Dublin about 25 years ago at a show in the Exhibition Building. That structure was subsequently put up in Battersea Park, London, where, I believe, it still stands, a somewhat white elephant without the ivory. But the section in question was for terriers under 10lb. weight, and it appears there were all sorts and sizes, and from the description of them they could not have been unlike what sometimes we see on the benches in Australia to-day in the rough-terrier classes. Any way it was a brindle won, and he the property of Mr. Desmond O'Connell. Now it will be seen that out of this chaos there has come much type and great con- sistency, indeed rave much as may the old school, that dog shows only tend to the production of poor animals and monstrosities, there can be but little doubt but that the present day breeders have produced a very stylish game terrier in the Irishman of the period. He is as game as is required of him, and he will generally be found to take on anything that is wanted of him as a dog and a vermin-destroyer. He might be a bit big for going to ground, the great and we take it perfectly justified craze for legs, feet, neck and shoulders making him somewhat taller and heavier than would be beneficial to the terrier at his legitimate game. But then we should remember there is much enclosed rabbit coursing that goes on in the Emerald Isle, and that Irish terriers are used as well as fox terrrers. Whether there is anything in that pastime or not is always a debatable question, and it is probable that in a country like this, where rabbits are looked upon as vermin, there can be no com- punction in slipping a brace of terriers to a rabbit put down on strange ground. The custom of coursing with Irish terriers might therefore account for the present length of limb, for rightly or wrongly people
connect a long leg with speed.
Once again has the Rooty Hill courser got to the end of a big and important stake, and this the Federal Cup at Belmore Park, by the aid of Besline and Braddon's Blot, this brace of Leopold-Besant greyhounds dividing. The 100 guinea cup therefore goes to adorn Mr. Samuel Bladon's sideboard, and the added money to an account that must have been augmented year after year for many a year by the aid of coursing stakes in all parts of Australia. The betting on the night of the draw anticipated the vic-
tory of Braddon's Blot.
The Western Australian show season opens with the Fremantle show at the end of this month, and then follow Perth and Kalgoorlie. Great and increased interest is taken in kennel affairs in the distant State, and some high prices have been recently given for high-class specimens of the popular varieties. One of the most remarkable dogs ever yet seen in any country is the collie Ormakirk Amazement, who, it will be remembered, was a champion before he left England now what might be styled years ago. It was only the other day that a letter was produced, which gave the intelligence that a large litter had only just arrived, and sired by this wonderful old dog, now over 14 years of age. I well recollect—
it must be a decade ago—going over Lord Ellesmere's estate close to the English racing metropolis, New- market. It was with Mr. Percy Heaton and his father, Captain Heaton, who is well known the world over as perhaps the best all-round breeder of all kinds of stock, and a judge had just given £150 for the dam of Ormskirk Amazemsent. This was Sweet Lassie, and that figure was the record for a brood bitch. There were other winners in the Orm- skirk Amazement litter, and it was this alone that prompted Captain Heaton to pay Messrs. Stretch such a big sum for Sweet Lassie. Again referring to Western Australia, there is also a show at Northam, a place on the railway line between Perth and Kal- goorlie. Writes a valued correspondent : " You will find that many of the varieties of the dogs in many of the classes will compare favourably with those in the eastern States, as there are a number of fanciers on the goldfields who are only too anxious to improve
their stock."
It might be going a step too far when people are silly enough to have their dogs' mouths filled up with false teeth. Yet it is on record that Mr. Jagger, husband of a very well-known English lady owner
of dogs, saw while at the late Boston (U.S.A.) show a dog with a splendid set of new teeth with gold fillings. They were said to be perfect and a great
success. This might be carrying the joke too far, and personally I hope, as an admirer of dogs, that such ridiculous fads as these may go to the wall, at once and soundly. These kinds of procedure only make us the laughing stock of the sensible-minded. Some years ago an artist acquaintance, Mr. Mosely, ex- hibited a schipperke in London, with false teeth, but such I think was more in fun than aught else. A correspondent to a metropolitan journal also says that recently " an old favouiite collie was in the company of the writer the other day, that was going to a West End specialist for the purpose of having an entire new set of teeth put in." Truly, we could have with advantage, in this year of grace, more
sense.
Says a London paper : Princess Victor Duleep Singh has joined the Ladies' Kennel Association, having made up her mind to exhibit once more. Some two years ago she showed her pet Pomeranian with much success, and decided then to let her first win be her last ; but we are glad to hear that her sister Sophie and other doggie friends have induced her to enter the lists once more. We hope many other ladies of the Court will follow her example, for it is only with continued support of nice women that dog- showing can maintain the position we find it in to- day. We fear, did ladies give this pastime up, that dog-showing would return to the old days of taproom shows and terrier fights, and make a retrograde movement that would utterly destroy a thoroughly good, wholesome hobby, which encourages kindness to animals and does much practical good to a very large community of animal-loving people. Here it might be mentioned that Farraday House, where re- side the above-mentioned Indian princesses, was pre- sented to them by her late Majesty Queen Victoria. Princess Sophie, who exhibits Borzois and Pomera- nians, is a member of the Ladies' Kennel Association, the International Kennel Club, the Borzoi Club, the Pomeranian Club, and the London and Provincial Pug Club. Princess Sophie's photograph is before me as I write. Her face and features are highly typical and representative of Eastern beauty, the great almond-shaped dark eyes reminding one of the nationality of this prominent lover of dogs and ani- mals. Princess Sophie, in fact, displays eminently those characteristics of some of the Indian princes which have done so much to make English rule popu- lar in India, paramount among which are a love of sport and an admiration of all things English.
One of the last gifts given by the Duke of Cornwall and York was a breastpin to our old friend and dog- lover, Captain Richard James Skinner, of the New- castle boat the Namoi. It was in consideration of his having assisted in piloting the Ophir to an anchor- age at Cowan, on the Hawkesbury River, on the occasion of the never-to-be-forgotten Royal visit. The yacht drew 25ft. Captain Skinner was presented to the Duke by Commodore A. L. Winsloe, and the present took the form of a White Rose of York, in the centre of the enamelled petals there being set a
diamond.
The well-known winning pointer, Champion Brummy Lady Floss, has just whelped a great litter of 12 puppies—eight dogs and two bitches—to the imported Jack. It will be remembered that the bitch was sometime ago illustrated in the " Mail." In- formation from Mr. W. S. Woodward is to the effect that they are all strong and healthy youngsters.
On Wednesday there was considerable interest being expressed in canine circles in reference to the show to be held at Prahan on the morrow. The great at- traction was to be the sheepdog Bushie, of the Vic- torian Contingent of Bushmen. It would seem, then, there were two Bushies : but the one to be looked upon at the western suburb show is, of course, not the one named by Sir Frederick Darley on that memorable occasion in Sydney. That Bushie was pre- sented to the late Queen by Earl Roberts. The Vic- torian Bushie is a collie, and perhaps a better show dog than the good and useful black, white, and tan cattle dog that went with the New South Wales men. But the Melbourne Bushie has certainly had great experience, and there can be little wonder that the Prahan committee hope that his pre- sence will swell their gate money coffers. It was Mr. W. T. Wright who was good enough to tell me that V. Bushie landed with his friends at forbidding Beira. He was attacked with ticks, not the tick that we know in Australia but the ordinary cattle tick of Africa. He for some reason or another attached himself to a Scottish regiment, and was with some of the men taken prisoner. In turn the Wilt- shires got hold of the dog from the Dutchmen, and in the Old Colony had the pleasure of returning the collie to our Victorian friends, who, like many others, were after the wonderful De Wet.
The coming show of the Victorian Poultry and Kennel Club will be held in July in the great aisle of the Exhibition Building. Nearly all the judges have before been mentioned, with the exception of Mr. R. G. Banner, who will make the awards in the fox terrier classes. Mr. Banner is an old owner of fox terriers. Mr. Walter Benby will take the major portion of the classes of show. All are making con- siderable preparations for an event that cannot fail to be interesting.
Mr. Morpeth, whom I met this week in Melbourne, stated that he had tried far and wide to secure entries for the New South Wales field trials. But it was all to no purpose. This well-known owner of setters thinks that it might be our shooting friends and owners of sporting dogs are rather backward, or rather bashful, in letting other people seeing their dogs work. Which is all the more the pity. No one blames his neighbour for having a poor dog, rather would he pity him, since he has not the pleasure of enjoying all those surroundings that a good dog will and shall give him. There will never be a good call for sporting dogs as there should be before well- broken dogs are to be seen in public, and the time must come when Australians will realise what has and is being written.
The previously announced intelligence that Mr. F. W. Haddon, the president of the V.K.C. and Mr.
L. D. Borsdorff, vice-president V.K.C. and K.C. New South Wales, are about to leave for Europe is freely spoken of in Melbourne, and that both will probably recruit their kennels in Melbourne from the best quarters in the old country.