Kennel Notes.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 17, 9 July 1920, Page 11

Kennel Notes.

(By "Rover.")

A few observations with regard to Dunedin Fanciers' Show may be interesting. Perhaps the— withdrawal as members from the Dunedin Fanciers' Club by a lairge section of the dog fanciers who withheld thedr entries (save one or two) may have had. an influence on the number of dogs oxhibited. The committee was quite satisfied, pevertheless, with the support received and are going ahead with the scheme to bring Sam Orabtree, the English judge, to adjudicate at the 1921 show. Two very firie setters were put down, an Irish and an English. Each dog would be hard to beat at any show in N.Z. Setters as a rule throughout the Dominion are bred up to a fairly high standard and the type is usually very good. The Irish dog should be heard of later as he has a commanding appearance, and his coat, when full, should be the dark red which breeders so much desire. The English dog Was a beautifully marked one, but was shown a trifle on the thin side, which seemed to detract from biin that nice bloom which was very noticeable in the other dog. There were several brown retrievers benched a.nd one of these was a bitch much fancied by those interested in the breed. Her coat was good but she was a bit light in eye and was shown too fat. The Airedales on the whole were of the same type. Those winning in the open classes being about the cream in the Soutu Island. Many critics would like to see the Airedale stouter in build. The present type is running a bit shelly. The wire fox-terriers were a keen competition, only the winning dog bein.g a sure thing, the others were fairly hard to place. The puppy which made such a hit at the Christchurch evening parade was well out of. the running, and we don't blame tlie qwner for allowing him to remain in Dunedin. The smooth fox-terriers, outside of ihe two placed. bitches in open and the two winning dogs, were a grubby lot and sorne were exhibited by so-called breeders. One wonders what has become of the bucket, or do they not know what a fox-terrier should be like? The bitch placed second in the open class hailed from the same kennel as the winner. Mr Woodford of Wellington being the breeder of the pah'. The faney in Invercargill is lucky in having one of the best smooth terriers in the Dominion at the present time, she is certaintly the best in the South Island. We congratulate the jointowners. . The two dogs call for no special mention — they had some gocd points but were not up to the grade ofThe bitches. Tliere was a good Irish terrier benched— she was bred in Dunedin and will possibly do well when she strays into competition. The only dog shown ywas not like an Irish terrier, and as his breeder remarked, was only a pet. Pomeranians made an interesting show and the one .which took the eye was a miniature black. He was very shy in the ring and had only been introduced to the collar and chain on show day, this event proving too much for him. When will owners learn to use the lead for a fair period prior to the show? Dogs require to be yery happy when making their appearance before the judge. ' Style counts so much. Cockers were not so numerous as previously, though the quality must have been there as the bracelet winner turned up in the winning cockar dog. This is the first occasion in the experience of the local fanciers that_ this honour has come to Invercargill. There is no reason why some of our other breeders should not land t-he mustard in the near future. The winning cocker biteh is a fitting mato for the dog, and it is just a toss upwhich is the better one. As a sporting brace they will take a power of beating. Collies were not numerous. The winning collie suffered defeat in the workers class, but we eouldn't follow out the placing of the dogs. The beardie is a beautiful dog ar.d eomes from "The Rocks," Central Otago. At Dunedin Kennel Show he was knocking in the bracelet, while at the Fanciers' Show he was called off before they had gone a furlong. The fancy collie was a handsome dog, but he was the only one. We can well remember the good old days when the benches were well filled with many of the ahove breed.