TRAPS FOR THE DOG-BUYER.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18426, 6 July 1925, Page 11

TRAPS FOR THE DOG-BUYER.

Most dogs are sold by honest dealers whose reputations are sufficient guarantee that their animals are what they seem. . But the faked dog is difficult to detect, writes Mr Frederick Nicholson in the "Daily Mail. ' Certain varieties' lend themselves to tho art of the faker. Fox terriers, Airedales, and Irish terriers can all be smartened' up bv skilful plucking or a careful use of the scissors. The new owner is surprised to find a month later that his Airedale is beginning to resemble a merino sheep ready for the shears. An hours work will harden up a wire-haired terrier's coat into an almost perfect texture. The dog is put into a. bath containing a small amount of blue, after which a mixture of powdered resin and alum is, well brushed in. Dyeing is a very common lake. "White markings on a black dog can be destroyed temporarily by means of logwood "or copperas. Anilino dyo will turn a dog into almost any colour, and it is very hard to detect, as it can be made fast by giving tho dog a bath in a mild solution of alum. Many a. Yorkshire terrier owes that desirable bluish tint, to the humble blacklead brush. On account of the scars the.-f leave, surgical operations, such as cutting the muscle in the ear of a collie so "that the end may droop over at tho proper angle, are more easily discovered. The same results can be obtained by fixing small weights by means of adhesive wax to tho inside of the tin of the ear. Of all the faker's tricks the most forgivable is soaking the top knots on the heads of Bedlingtons and Dandies in buttermilk so that they may have a nice, fluffy appearance.