The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-17
MY LADY'S DOG.
He Comes High, but There Is O De-
mand for Him.
(Copvriqhted.

(Copvrtohted)
New York, June 15.-The craze that OK
listed a little while ago for big dogs simply
because of their bgness with little regard
for their breed, has died out aud fashion,
for once intelligent, has made proper dis
elimination in settling upon the st. Bernard
as permanent favorite above all other
very large dogs. The mastiffs and loewen-
hundS have been relegated to their proper
place as watch dogs; the huge stag and
wolf hounds shipped Off to the
country only to reappear at bonch
shows, and the hordes of bogus
Newfoundlands have disappeared Y
In sausages. But the enormous, noble
looking, Intelligent and faithful St Ber-
nards remain the pets of fashionable
women and the pride of gentlemen of
leisure, to even greater degree than eyer
before. Doubtless they would be more popu-
lar, in the sense that more of them would be
kept if they we're cheaper, and the converse
of the proposition is probably equally
true, that II they were cheaper
more Of them would be kept A st. Ber-
nard puppy months old is worth $50 or
$75 only, but at the age of 2 years, IL fine
specimen and backed by genuine pedigree,
will command all the way from $1,000 to
81, 600, and those are not mere fancy prices,
such as appear on bench show catalogues
signifyng oily that the animals are not for
sale, but are the real sums paid here in New
York by rich persons for these splendid
dogs. One thousand dollars is indeed looked
upon as quite reasonable price for fine
st. Bernard dog.
Highly as those canine kings are valued :,
there is another dog that Ia still more aristo-
cratic, a possession for fashionable fanciers,
one that Is rarer than the st. Bernard, aud,
when perfect, even higher priced That Is
the Laverack setter, probably the most
beautiful dog that wags a tail. 1t Is of
about the same size as the Gordon setter
perhaps rather longer--very deep chested
and finely proportioned throughout. The
head is even more beautiful than that of
the Gordon; the large liquid eyes
beam with kindness and intelligence;
the ear pendulous, long, silky aud
Jet black shows sharply in con-
trast with the snowy white Of the cheeks,
jowls, forehead and throat; the coat, loog,
soft as silk and wavy, is flecked with jet
black spots and the tail is like the magnih
cent plume of Henry of Navarro. Yes, the
Laverack is unquestionably an aristocratic
looking dog, not so nobly independent in
style as the St. Bernard, but just the sort
that a woman will 20 into ecstacies over for
his beauty. And he Is as expensive as
jewelry. Two months old puppies range in
price from $50 to $100 and full grown dog
is worth, according TO his color and style,
all the way from 1000 TO $4,000, actual
good cash. The Laverack is highest In fash
ion now.
Few persons who have once enjoyed ia
miliar acquaintance, ON an amicable basis,
with big dogs, ever again take much i0ter-
est in the yeping little whiffets that were all
the rage few years ago-the 'toy dogs,n
as fanciers contemptuously class them. New
ertheless, there are enough persons with
old-fashioned tastes, generally over-ripe
spinsters with highly developed nerves, to
keep place in the fashionable world for the
King Charles, Blenheim and Japanese SPAN
iels; not very big place. it is true, but quite
large enough for the useless, pop-eyed little
beasts. Plenty of them are to be seen In
carriages, out for an airing, and now and
then woman shows herself in public lugg-
ing one that looks like feebly animated
muff. But much to the credit of our ladies
of fashion, when they are seen on the streets
with their canine friends, the latter are
generally animals worthy of respect and
admiration. The three kinds Of spanlels
mentioned are never worth more than $3.50
per dog, in the market, whatever may be
The exaggera ed notions of their value en-
tertained by their owners.
j. Fl. CoNNELLy.