The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-31
A KING AMONG ST. BERNARDs.


 Bruce Owned by F. L. Morse of West Haven-Said to be the Finest St. Bernard in the State-A Litter of Pups of the Same Speeies-Finely Marked and Proportioned Young Canines-From Registered Stock.
 While riding or walking down Wash ington avenue in West Haven during the past year many people have no- ticed an unusually fine apbearing and large dog of the St. Bernard kind, which all who have seen him aver has no equal in the city. On inquiry it has been learned that this magnificent spec imen of the canine species is Bruce, a registered full blooded St. Bernard, owned by Frederick l.. Morse, who re- sides at the corner of Washington ave- nue and Park street, and who is engin- ger at Ottenheimer's corset factory on Hill street. Bruce is without doubt sure prize winner, although he has never been entered at the dog show and his owner says that he thinks too much of Bruce to place him on exhibition at a show, The dog stands 37 inches high and weighs a little more than 1S0 pounds. He is registered in the Ameri- can Kennel club registry as No 36,4S0 and has a long line of registered prize winning ancestors His dam was Top sy, a fine full blooded St. Bernard bitch owned by George Meiggs of Guilford, from whom Mr. Morse purchased Bruce. The sire was Lord Melrose, a famous dog which held for three years the first prize for St. Bernards at the New York dog show. Melrose was sold for $4,SO0 Bruce is marked in orange and white is four years old, and there is probably not more finely pointed and developed dog of his breed in the state than he is He is decidedly perfect in every re- spect and his owner has refused an of fer of $500, which was made for him two years ago. He has a well marked, broad white collar about his neck and his head is well set, all points tending to make him a handsome animal. Lord Melrose his sire, was at one time the largest dog in the world and won many prizes at bench shows. He died about two years ago and at that time weigh ed 210 pounds. A brother of Bruce is owned by Francis w. Foley of 284 Grand avenue, and other dogs nearly related are owned by Judge Lynde Har- rison and Dr. Whittemore.
 MT. Morse has also a litter of three pups sired by Bruce from Hermosa, a fine St. Bernard bitch owned by the young son of Albert Mattoon, the State street cigar manufacturer. The pups are four weeks old and were born while such intensely hot weather prevailed. The litter consisted of six pups but the heat was so excessive that three died
 
 MT. Morse by the greatest watchfulness and closest care. The pups are kept in a stall in the barn and during the hot weather MT. Morse kept the floor of the barn wet down with cold water, thereby lessening the effect of the heat on the pups. He still takes the best of cars of his pets and has mosquito netting nailed over the stall to keep out any flies which might bother the baby St. Bernards. The pups are little beau ties and very cute. Each is dark brown slightly marked in white near the neck and having three inches of the tip of the tail marked the same. The pen in which the pups are kept is as clean as a parlor and they now promise to make fine dogs. One of the three is a bitch. Their percentage is first-class in every respect. Hermosa, the dam, was sired by St. Bedivere, a prize winner, which sold for $12.500, this being the highest price ever paid for a dog in America. Hernosa was purchased by R. T. Mer- win and given to his grandchild, the son of MT. Mattoon. She is very kind and is much loved playfellow of chill tdren. She is now being kept by MT. Morse until the pups are old enough to take care of themselves.
 Mir. Morse owned another fine litter of St. Bernard pups about five years ago and they were at that time ex- hibited in the window of l.. Walzmey- er's score then on Chapel street, where they attracted much attention. One of that litter, Hero is now owned by Isaac M. Ullman. One was owned by Mrs. Hitchkiss of Church street, but was killed by the cars.
 Those who admire fine dogs will be amply repaid by a visit to see Bruce, who is, without doubt one of the finest if not the very best of the twenty-five St. Bernard's in the city.