Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-25
LaiestFashions I'm DOGS.

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Fashion rules supreme in all things,
even in the matter of dogs. For the
past eighteen months or two years the
"pHg dog was derigmcur as an adj
iilnct to every lady's state. To such.an
extent was the craze carried that fabu-
lpus prices were asked and obtained by
The dealers for what was termed
thoroughbred" Sometimes the price
ranged as high as two hundred dollars,
but none were ever sold under fifty dol.
lars. Now the tide is changing and
''Pugs are becoming a drug in the mar
ket. Those dealers who still have q
few on hand are willing to accept one
half of the price formerly asked, or
even less. These so-called pets are
subjected to an amount of kindness, and
cost sums of money for their keep that
would he simply surprising to those not
in the secret. 1t is no unusual thing
for lady to board her dog out at q
fancier's in much the same way as a
horse is put TO livery. The dog is
brought to her at stated. intervals. and
after being caressed is sent back to its
kennel or cage until. the time for the
next visit. As much as from ten to
fifty dollars aImonth is paid for this at
tentiOn on the dog fancier's part.
The new fashion runs toward dogs of
the heavier class, the greatest favorites
being the intelligent St. Bernard and
the stately English mastiG Both these
breeds command high prices, and ARE,
Is a rule, readily sold from seyeufysiiye
to one hundred dollars each when fully
grown, of firSt-class breed and well over
the distemper,. Puppies are sold at
about fifty dollars apiece. There is
also a great demand for this class of
dogs for shipment to Cuba and South
America, and anything like decent
specimen is widely snapped up. Deer
hounds and Scotch cellies are very
scarce and but little in demand, al
though the latter is the most faithful
and intelligent of lis species. Blood
hounds are seldom dealt in. aRd but few
people care TO possess them owing To
their treacherOuS and uncertain temper.
OF the smnller class of dogs the black
hndtan and toy terriers are the greatest
favoriues, as they have always been.
but even these rlf>ctionate, faithful and
sharp little creatures have ceased to be
in ANYTHING like their former demand.
The difficulty, however, in obtaining and
keeping up good traits of these dogs is
sure TO keep them high as to value, and
the supply is never likely to be very
large owing to the delicacy of their con
stituIion and the trouble experienced in
raising them from puppydom to full
and mature growth. The climate of
America is scarcely suitable to this breed
of dogs. When imported either as pup
pies or full grown they scarcely ever
live long, as they invariably sickcn and
die or 30 mad with the extreme heat in
the summer. Those bred in this coun-
try, however, rs rule are more hardy
The weight of Il black and tan varies
from two pounds to seven or eight
pounds, but as rule the smaller they
are the more valuable.
| This breed was originally produced
by the crossing of the old Yorkshire
'Or ''bluc' terrier with the old-fashioned
English tan terrier, and then intcrbrccd-
ing the King Charles spaniel. Its char
acteristics are that the hair should he
short, fine and silky, the head fine. -thc
tail thin and pointed, with n,
little hair on it rs possible, while
the tan marks should be fully defined
and marked about the muzzlc, and
! from the toes to the bend of the feet, and
| also that the two little pea" marks of
tan should be well developed Just behind
| and below the eve. nj I'VE the iowl. The
toes should be fine. and the talons or claws
nicely tapered and black. The roof of
| the mouth should also he black The
more these dogs are interbred, that is,
| among each other of the same family.
the smaller they become as a general
thing. and the higher in value. A
| popularity, however, in the care OF
! these, rs with all other classes, is that q
| litter viii often contain one or-two little
ones that are quito worthless and entire
| ~ different in every respect from Their
| parents. The old-fashion "blue" has
| almost entirely died out.
/ Fox terriers, bull terriers and Scotch
/ and Skye terriers are but little thought
of now although few years since fabu
lous prices were paid for thorough,
breds of any of these types. Fox terri
ers and bull terriers are now worth
from twenty TO fifty dollars each, Scotch
terriers from ten TO fifty dollars ant
Skyes from twenty-five to seventy-fvC
| dollars.
Italian greyhounds are scarcely ever
found in America, but they can be oc
casionally obtained for about twenty
five dollars each.
Bulldogs vary from twenty to fifty
dollars, according to size, age ant
breed, and sometimes, too, their fight
ing qualities are put in the scale
King Charles spaniels are now getting
exceedingly rare and scarce and com
mand all the way from twenty five dol.
lars TO one hundred and twenty-five
| dollarS.-N. Y Mall. -'