Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-13
st. Bernards Most F Fashionable of the
Large Breeds.
MASqlFFS ARE NOT 50 POPULAR
General Discussion of the Various
Kinds.
A LIBERAL PRIZE LIS I

One of the several differences between
horse show and dog show Is that while
the former is fashionable, the latter Is pop
ular. The horse show attracts people to
see and be seen. while the dogs alone are
the attraction when they are on exhibition.
The reason for that is not far to seek. No
one can make companion of a horse,
while the dog is mans best friend, and is
typical Of faithfulness. Another distinction
between the two families is that the equine
race Is limited In the matter Of breeds.
Inc thoroughbred differs in no very marked
oeeree from the higher grade of trotting
horse as they are exhibited, and with trot-
tins-ored horses outrivaling the hackney
IN action, and also when combined with
substance doing duty as park horses, the
olVldlng lines are very irregular as to
breeds. OF course. there are some decided
dlHerences, such as size and color but to
the uneducated eye horse is horse even
at horse show. Now, no one can say that
OF an exhibition Of dogs. Take the breeds
as they are usually exhibited on the show
oencnes, and from the mastiff down to the
toy terrier the differences are so marked
as 10 impress every one. even If the names
are unknown. There is room for such a
choice that it would be impossible not to
please any one who did not object to the
whole outfit of dogs.
MastiTs are not quite so popular as they
once were, for there is fashion in Gogs as
IN other things, and some fifteen years ago
IN. 1ne mastlifs were one of the popular breeds
Ihat was mainly on account of dogs in
those days being owned more by thorough
fanclers than nowadays, and when the pub
nc took to prize winners they selected
something that was pleasing to the eye,
and In the case of big dogs the st. Bernard
ecllpsed the mastiff, with it's cold dignity
ana comparatively unattractive appear
ance. 1t needs education to appreciate
sooo mastiH, whereas it is a case of love
at 11rst sight when it comes to hign-class
st. Bernard. Sir Bedivere was fairly wor-
SHIPPED when he lived. and it was not the
announcement that his price was $4,000
that made his stall the center of a dense
crowd, but the graz dness Of his head and
his majestic dignity of expression. The ST.
Eernards still hold their own as the most
fashionable Of the large breeds, and an
other aristocratic family is that of the Rus
sian wolfhound. 1t Is conceded that for
beauty of outline there is nothing to COM
pare with the greyhound, and when to that,
is added the size Of the wolfhound and it's
addltlonal beauty of coat, 1t is most sur
prising that he has not increased In popu-
larlty more than has been the case.
The Great Dane.
The Great Dane is the dog of the sons of
the fatherland, and where the Germans
abound there the Great Dane is always
numerous. Others do not take to the breed,
in requiring an educated fancier to ap-
preciate his points, besides which he has
rot the best of character in the matter of
temper Even the owners, while repudiat-
ing the charge, are to be seen with much
more business-like whips at their command
than any one else considers necessary to
use. The Great Dane runs a little on the
order of the greyhound, showing more
speed in his outline than the mastiff, and
the step from him is therefore in the di-
rection Of the beautiful greyhound, one of
the Oldest breeds in existence and the beau
ideal of speed in his shape. No breed of
dogs mas been kept so pure this. and
the Oldest pictures Of famous dogs show
no difference whatever from the best Of
the present day. Breeders Of two hundred
years ago had reached the acme of per-
lection and there has been no change since
then. 1t is not dog of fashion, but of
utility, and for that reason change has not
been sought for. The deerhound is hut the
greyhound on more robust lines and with
shaggy coat of weather-resisting texture
English BloOdhounds.
The next step in the dog show catalogue
is in the direction Of the breeds which COM
nlne speed with seeming powers-the
hounds proper. The English bloodhound
takes precedence and is another very old
family For many years he has been bred
for points, and stress has been laid on head
properties until he is quite distinct from
all other hounds, although the bloodhound
undoubtedly was the hunting dog of two
hundred years ago. This is amply proved
by the dogs still to be seen occasionally in
Virginia and southern Pennsylvania and
called the old black and tan hound If that
oog IN place of being bred for nose and
speed had been made a fancy breed, as is the
case with the English bloodhound of the
present day, there would be but little diff
terence between them, and our hounds are
the descendants of the old importations
from England before there was any mix
ture of blood to get increased speed
Inc foxholnds of England and this coun-
try differ in the same way, for without any
guide for breeding here. except using the
fastest and best-nosedslogs we have pro-
duced lghter-framed dog than the type
raised in England, where so much stress
Is laid on plenty of bone The barriers and
beagles in their best state should be minia-
ture foxhormds, and here again Americans
have gone further af1eld in shape than have
the Englishmen, whose best beagles show
the desired characteristics in a much more
marked degree than with us.
Bird Dogs.
From hounds to the several breeds which
can be grouped as ''bird dogs" the step is
an easy one. Pointers have grown won
derfully in popularity of late years, and
not in that alone, for English judges who
have been here in recent years allow that
we can show a collection of pointers at our
largest shows which are not to be beaten
In England. 1t is a very remarkable fact
that not only the pointer, but also the set
ter family all owe their origin to Spain.
The setter was the first to be imported into
england as the spaniel, the name plainly
indicating his origin. The name setter
came from the spaniel being used to set the
game before the days of guns and when
the net was the way in which cartridges
were caught. The Getting spaniel when he
caught scent of the birds squatted on the
ground and drew along till close to the
game, when the fowlers drew over him
tfeir net and covered the birds. After some
years the term setting SPANIEL was short
cred to setter. and as the crouching atti-
tude became unnecessary with firearms, he
was only taught to point as does the point
er, which was not introduced into England
until the beginning of the eighteenth CEN
fury, while the spaniel had been known
there for something like three hundred
years. From the spaniel we now have the
English. Irish and Gordon settlers and the
Irish water. Clumber. field and cocker span
lei of the present day, with all their varie-
ty OF division by color. The small toy span
lei is also a descendant of the dog that
was brought so many years ago to England
from Spain. Where he came from original
ly Is. of course, unknown, but it is very in
teresting to note that the Pekin spaniel
and the japanese spaniel is similar in near
In