THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 4031, 16 June 1931, Page 25

THE KENNEL.

B,

Terror.

Fanciers and breeder of doge u« eord rally invited to contribute to thia eolumn. “Terror" will endeavour to 'tna-ko this department m 'interwtwig and up-to-date aa possible, but to -erder to do this he must have the cooperation of liia readers, hence ha trusts this invitation wflj be ehaeriully responded to.

You do not give sufficient information to enable me to suggest the «ause of the irritation. The perpetual scratching may be due to mange or eczema or to intestinal worms. If you Value ’the dog you should take it to a Veterinary surgeon. The following by Btedicus ” .(Our Dogs) , which includes a prescription lor skin troubles, is well worth your perusal:-—“ Irritation of the Skin, whether due to worms or to surfeit, Or to whatever cause attributable, is a sign of blood impurity. External applications can never cure this. It calls for internal blood medicine, whilst external applications can be relied upon to give, local relief. Parrish’s chemical syrup is a good, generally useful blood medicine, but where it has not proved effective something else must be tried. The following will be found a good prescription : Take of citrate of iron and ammonium 120 grains, glycerine four fluid drachms, and enough chloroform water to make eight fluid ounces. Does for a dog of, say, 101 b to 121 b weight, one teaspoonful twice daily in a little water. If it is desired to include a small dose of arsenic add-30 minims (half a fluid drachm) of Fowler’s arsenical solution to the whole eight ounces as shown above. It must be borne in mind that arsenic treatment should not be continued too long—say beyond a month or six weeks at a stretch. Arsenic is not only a powerful tonic—it is also a dangerous cumulative poison, which is apt to store itself up in the 'system and then provoke a catastrophe. The two principles to bear an mind when administering it are (1) to begin with a small dose, only increase it by slow degrees, and (-2) not to leave it off suddenly, 'but to discontinue it by easy -stages. On the whole it -is betternot to give arsenic if it can be avoided. Moreover, the legal restrictions upon the sale of this are now becoming very tight, and it is really necessary to get a veteri-, nary surgeon’s prescription before it can be obtained."

“ Foxy.”—You -should certainly show your dog. Wife th er you win or not, by exhibiting you get a chance of comparing with tlie winners. You are too late to enter tor the Dunedin show, but there will be other shows 'held not far from your own district. -For your information I 'am including a description of the ’fox terrier in this week’s notes. “Exhibitor.”—A dog when entered-for ft khow under the New Zealand Kennel Club rules must be the sole and unconditional property of the exhibitor. -In the case of a partnership the full name oh every partner must be given.

A judge’s decision, according to the New Zealand Kennel Club "Rule No. 33, is final in all cases, and cannot ’be altered after his book containing the awards has been handed to the show secretary, except in cases 'Of fraud or misrepresentation by an exhibitor, when the show Committee may hold an inquiry and report the matter to the Kennel Club, which may decide that the award be cancelled and replaced by the dog next in order of merit.

, Distemper (Research. —It appears from the following letter that the Field dis-temper-preventing vaccine and virus is not as yet as 'effective aS ft has been ■proclaimed, though some satisfactory results have 'been obtained-:—“ I wish to ■appeal to all dog lovers for subscriptions to the Field Distemper Research Fund. It -appears to me a disgraceful fact that the fund is at present practically dependent on help received from the American Committee, and I think it may be that this is 'partly -due to a misunderstanding. Many of us have dogs which have been successfully immunised by the use of the V»ccine and virus issued from Mill Hill, and later by Messrs BuTroughes and Wellcome. It is a matter of common knowledge that something went wrong with the supplies -from the latter •establishment, and that their use later was not so invariably successful as at first, but no trouble or mjoney is being spared to put things right, -and there is every -hope that a satisfactory supply -of vaccine and virus will be available shortly. It is not for this purpose that I ask ’for subscriptions, but to remind my readers that the work at Mill Hill is still going on. It is work of very great importance, for it is practically pertain that a protective and curative serum -can and will be produced at no distant ‘date. It is to assist in this work that money is urgently required, and I ask everyone who has benefited in the past by the work done at Mill Hill, and everyone who hopes to benefit in the future, to send a subscription either to

me or direct to the organising secretary of the fund, Mr E. W. Moss-Blundell, The Field, Field House, Bream’s Buildings, London E.C. 4. —Yours, etc.. Hester Higgens (Mrs Jamieson Higgens-). Tarrant Monkton, Blandford, England.” Terrier’s Death from Grief.—The story of a terrier’s death from grief at the loss of his master was related at Welshpool. Trie 'terrier was owned by the late Mr Richard Matthews, of Golfa. When Mr Matthews became ill, he was removed to a nursing institute in Welshpool, three miles away. Three days later the terrier' escaped, and. it is stated, found its way to the institute where its master lay. It. was taken back home, but after its madter had died the terrier again escaped anti made its way to Welshpool, where it was; found dead outside the institute.—North Wales Observer.

Something unique in the canine world was seen at the Marlborough Kennel Clubs first show, when what is claimed to be the smallest fnll-grown dog in the Dominion was exhibited! This is Mrs M. H. Mac Gibbon’s Bravo Santa Fe. a five-year-old Chihuahua, owned in Christchurch). The Chihuahua (pronounced: sh-wah-wah) breed has its origin in South America, and is noteworthy for the dimi-■ nutiveness of its representatives. Long before they reached the entrance! of the Fanciers’ Show on Friday visitors had ample evidence of the presence of the: dogs, whose barking was audible forabout 100 yards up the road. For some reason dogs always give tongue to their full king capacity at a show, and although their barking seems purposeless to the casual listener, anyone who cares to study the: sound can detect certain interesting; features. The barking is sustained for a while, and then there is-a sudden hush,all the dogs stopping simultaneously as though at a signal. And then it bursts out again, in unison, as though nothin'? had happened, and a few minutes later the same.peculiar hush descends once again.. The occurrence certainly provides an interesting field for conjecture. Singularly enough, whatever the breed of dog, the barking seems to Wend into One sustained sound that seems to be an expression of one mood. Certainly there is not a note of savagery in The sound. Dog’s All-night Vigil.-—An Airedale terrier, owned by Mr D. Oliver, of The Red House, -Eastleigh, Hampshire, ■’stood on guard during the whole night ’over the dead body -of its companion, an -Alsatian, which was run over and killed at Basset, Southampton. The Alsatian was owned by Mrs G. Belton, who also lives at The Red House, and the dogs were very friendly. -After Brag, the Alsatian, was killed, M'ola, his companion, refused to aßow anyone to approach the dead animal. A man who tried to entice him away to read 'the name on -the collar had his coat torn, and ’finally the police had to lasso Mola to get him away-. The dog had remained without food for 48 hours. — London Everting News.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FOX TERRIER. Head.—The skull should be flat and moderately narrow; broader between the ears and gradually (decreasing in width, to the eyes. Not much stop be apparent, but there should be more dip in the profile between the forehead and top jaw than is seen in the case -of a greyhound. The ears should be " V shaped and rather small, of moderate thickness, and dropping .forward closely to the cheek, not hanging by the side >of the head like a 'foxhounds. The jaw should be strong, and muscular, but not too full in the cheek; should be of fair punishing length, but not -so as in any way to resemble the greyhound’s or modern English terrier’s. There should not be much falling away between the eyes. This part of the head should, however, be moderately -chiselled out so 'as not to go down in a straight slope like a wedge. The nose, towards which the muzzle must slightly- taper, should be black. The eyes should be dark-rimmed, small, and rather deep set, full of fire and life. The teeth 'should be level and strong. Neck;-—-Clean and muscular without throatiness, of fair length, and gradually Widening to the shoulders. Shoulders.—. Fine 'at the points, 'long, and sloping; the 'chest deep but not broad. z Back.—-Short, straight, and strong, with no appearance of Slackness behind the

shoulders; the loin broad, powerful, and very slightly arched. The dog should be well ribbed up with deep 'back ribs, and should not be flabsided. Hindquarters.'—Strong and muscular, finite free from droop or crouch; the thighs long and powerful; hocks near the ground, the dog -standing well up on them, like the foxhound., without much bend in the stifles. Stern.—Set on rather high and carried gaily, but not over the back or curled. It should be of good strength, anything approaching a pipe-stopper tail being especi ally object ion abl e. Legs and Feet.—Viewed in any direction, the legs must be straight, showing little or no appearance of ankle in front. They should be large in bone throughout, the elbow working freely just clear of the side. Both fore and hind legs should be carried straight forward in travelling, the stifles not turning outwards. The feet should be round, compact, and not too large; fhe toes moderately arched, and turned neither in nor out. There should be no dew claws behind. The coat -should be smooth, but hard, dense, and abundant. Colour.—.mrite should predominate. Brindle, red, or liver markings are objectionable. otherwise this point is of little importance.

Symmetry, Size, and Character.—The dog must present a generally gay, lively, and active appearance. Bone and strength in small compass are essentials, but this must not be taken to mean that a fox terrier should be cloggy or in any way coarse. Speed and endurance must be looked to as well as power, and the .-symmetry of -the foxhound taken as a model. The terrier, like the hound, must on no account be leggy, neither must he lie too short in leg. He should stand like a cleverly-made hunter—covering a lot of ground, yet with a 'short back as before -Stated. He will then attain the highest degree of propelling power, together with the greatest length of stride that is conypatible with the length of his body. Weight is not a certain 'criterion of' a terrier’s fitness for his work. General shape, size, and contour are the main .points, and if a dog can gallop and -stay and follow his fox it matters little what hie weight is to a pound or so. though roughly sneaking it may he said he should not scale over ■2olb in show condition. —Disqualifying Points.— Nose.—White, cherry, or spotted to a ■considerable -extent with either of these colours. Ears. —Prick, tulip, or rose. Mouth.—Much overshot or undershot. ■—Scale of Points.— Head, jaws, and ears .. . . 20 Neck .. .. 5 Shoulders and chest 10 Back and loin- .. 10 Stern and hindquarters . . 10 Legs and feet .. 15 Coat 10 Size, symmetry, and character 20 Total points .. .. . . 100