Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-11-05
TENNEssEE,s DOG KENNELS.
The Great Wintering State of America
for Sporting Dogs.

The Great Wintering State of America
for Sporting Dogs.
Tennessee is the great wintering
state of America for the finest bred
of sporting dogs of the world. Missis-
sippi stands second in the number of
kennels and value of dogs. There ore
dogs in Tennessee worth kings ran
som, and some of them could not be
purchased for any amount of money
from their millionaire owners. The
value of the 700 kennels in Tennessee,
the dogs and land belonging to them,
has recently been estimated at $1,400,-
600 by Charles Sturdivant of Stanton,
who is the trainer and keeper of the
George Gould and Lorillard dogs. IN
der the laws of Tennessee dog has no
property value, and no license is nee
essary. Nor can damages be enforced
for the accidental death of a fine dog,
though his value in the fields runs as
high as $4,000. The owners and
| trainers are now at work to secure the
passage of a bill to tax all dogs in Ten
nessee, thereby giving them proper
ty value in the courts.
The greatest kennel in the world is
| located at Hickory Valley, under the
personal management of j. M. Avent,
| who is recognized as the foremost
trainer and authority in the sporting
world. There are more quail to be
found in the marsh lands of this sec
ton than elsewhere, and game is very
| plenty, necessary to dog training. The
| head trainers of these big kennel pre-
serves receive as much money for
their work as college presidents. The
dogs are pointers and settlers of the
| bluest blood, and range in value from
| $500 to $4,000, though but few Of
them reach the maximum value. There
are hundreds of bird hunters in Ten
nessee who own their dogs, and these
private animals range in value from
| $50 to 5000. It is impossible to buy a
bird pup in Tennessee of the common
| est origin for less than $780, and the
prices at the stud kennels are far be-
| yond this.
Next in Importance to the big Hick-
DRY Valley kennels is the Del Monte
kennel at Waverley, owned by the
George Croker estate of California.
James c. Waddell, the original dog ex-
pert of the United States, is in charge
of the 4,000-acre preserve. Mr.. WaG-
dell established the first sporting dog
kennel at Newton, N. j., in 1874, hav-
ing borrowed the idea from England,
where dog kennels have long been a
part of every large establishment.
From the Newton kennels sprang all
other American sporting kennels.
Dogs have a fixed standard value, .
said Mr.. Waddell, "as firmly estab-
lished as that placed upon horses or
cattle. In Del Monte we have some Of
the finest dogs in the world. For Min
ME l., an English setter, we paid 81 ESQ,
and 81 900 each for Bette B and Sam
T. For Dick Bay, a pointer, we paid
81 900 and for Dicks Kid $4,000. Dick
Kid is now the head of our stud, and is
valued at $4,000, because we have
won some valuable prizes with him at
field trials. We have in our kennels
today 100000 worth of sporting dogs
that is, they will bring that much
money in the worst kind of market It,
costs $4,000 a year to run the kennel,
which explains why it is that only
rich men can afford such luxury.
People who indulge in dogs have the
money to spare, and they get their re-
turns from the pleasures of the chase.
The leading inanciers and jurists of
this country are great lovers of the
| sport, and find relaxation in it,
From dogs worth $4,000 and
$4,000 there are thousands that are
worth anywhere from $3.50 to $500
each. The trainers fee is 500, so any
trained dog has to be started off in adj