The herald., 1897-05-06

Plluleut u the OILcSIS u t1lc 1AcAASA ~. -
having the exhibition in charge, besides
speaking in the highest terms OF the
show itself. Owners of prize winners IN
this show should not fail to enter them
in the Oakland and San Francisco ex'
hibitions. as they are good enough foi
any company.
In discussing the San Francisco Ken
mel club'e inaugural bench show, which
"Opens May 10th, Field Sports says:
The coming bench show of the San
francisco Kennel club bids fair to DEM
onstrate certain facts which have all
along been apparent, but whose estab-
lishment beyond peradventure has been
desired for many years. In the fret
place it will convince the public that
bench shows are not by any means func-
tions peculiar to dog owners, dog fan
ciers and dogdom alone. 1t will also
show the same public that the dog has
quite as many friends outside such cir
cles as in, and it will further make mani
fest, to the coast and to the world, that
California not only possesses some of the
finest dogs extant, in their respective
classes. but that many of them are
owned by people whose names, hereto
fore have never even had mention in
| dogdom.
In other words the arrangements being
made by the San Francisco Kennel club
have reached a stage at which it is now
to be seen that bench shows are about
to attain their proper plane. To the
aforesaid fanciers and dwellers within
the circle, such exhibitions and all per-
| TIT, 81 q a n
open book. But to the public at large.
in the belief of the club, they are not.
Consequently the club has undertaken
to unite the dog owners Of the city and
of the coast, be they of the initiated or
the unintiated. Dogdom will of course
be represented to the full. But so will
the millionaire; and, so will the laborer.
And when on May 2Sd the show has
passed into that which has been, the
public will have discovered much in
bench shows that they knew not of be-
fore, and greater even than the public s
gain will have been the gain to the dog.
| For it is now patent that the coming
show is to command popular attention
and attendance, even as did the horse
show. And why not? The members of
the club have gone out into the highways
and byways and explained to the public
just what they are doing and intend
doing They have aeked the public to
exhibit its dogs and the public has con-
sented. They have asked society to show
| it's dogs and society will bring its dogs
and itself They have asked the dogs of
dogdom and dogdom has responded to
a man. And for the dogs Of all, they
have hung up prizes never before at
tempted this side of the mountains.
In view of the dog craze prevailing
throughout the country, the following
summing up of the points of the vari-
Gus fashionable breeds by an expert
fancier is Of general interest:
OF the pointer, he says the express
sion is that of bright intelligence, the
head showing good width and depth of
skull, with clean, fiat cheeks. The muz-
zle should be long, of good width and
deep, coming out clean from the eye.
with well defined stop. PLENTY in front
of the eye" is a pointer necvessity. The
neck should be slightly arched on top
devoid Of throatiness, or loose skin at
the throat, and of good length, running
into clean. flat, sloping shoulders. Ell
bows should be close 10 the body and
legs not too wide apart and perfectly
straight, terminating in feet with we'll
arched toes. close together. Ribs should
he we'll sprung, the back strong, loin
slightly arched. Quarters and hind
legs should show plenty of muscle, with
good bend to the hooks, which should be
clean and bony. Hind feet should be
like those in front. The pointer usually
stands wide behind, and when he walks
he swings his back little. The tail is
rather short and carried straight. The
most conspicuous faults are weak muz-
zles, light yellow eyes, punches of mus
Gle on the cheeks, back too long, with
weak loins and a general lack of the
muscular development necessary to
show dog to be in thorough condition.
The most general failing, next to the
head, is in the shoulders. which are apt
to be too straight, ard show ropes and
punches Of muscle-"loaded shoulders"
technically. Poor feet are not common
in pointers, but lack Of bone is. AS
size is not necessary in pointers and
they are accommodated with division
by weight to enable the good little ones
to win as we'll as the good big ones,
i5 uASo SdiA iieAioAy NC quOlcO, do tley
are seldom taken. Here, however are
those of one of the best large pointers
ever known: Length of head, 10 inches;
girth of muzzle, 10 inches; height at
shoulder, "a inches; girth of chest, 30
inches; girth of loin, % inches; girth
of skull, Is inches; girth of forearm, TX
inches. 3r
Here are the points Of the huge and
handsome Great Dane: The dog ought
really to be modelled much on grey
hound lines, or half way between that
and the nastiff, showing strength with
an ease of movement far ahead of any
other large dog. Head should be long
and fiat, with narrow skull; eye small
and deeply set; cheek showing mod
crate amount of muscle; neck long and
graceful, through strong; shoulders fiat
and sloping; chest deep and ribs well
sprung; back moderately long, with
arch low; legs showing plenty of bone
and muscle, with good round feet and
we'll arched toes; coat close. short and
hard. A dog should be at least thirty
inches high at the shoulder and bitches
twenty -enght inches. Color is imma-
terial. The faults of Great Danes, as
seen at the larger shows, are many, and
there is an evident lack of intelligence
in breeding them. What may generally
be seen are short heads, thick skulls.
light eyes size and substance in place
of symmetry in body, light bone and