The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-21
Woman sWorId
ALEXANDRA'S PETS
The Queen of England Has Kennels
That Are Famous.
THE BANTAMs AND THE DOVES
The Disgrace of an Aged Cockat0O
After Long Years of Roy
al Favor.

queen Alexandra has a catholic taste in
PETS and her four footed and feathered
friends at Sandringham range all the
way from Arab steeds to centenarian cocka-
zoos Her kennels are famous and her dogs
have won laurels at many bench show.
They live as royal dogs should, not in
enervating ease and luxury, but according to-
the best precepts and training that money and
experience can supply. To be sure, Billy and
Punchy do have silk cushions in the royal
dressing room and are more or less coddled,
but they are Japanese spaniels and too small
10 be taken seriously.
Out in the queens kennels there are all
sorts and conditions of dogs many OF them
gifts; others bred at Sandringham. The
crowd is as cosmopolitan as is a table d 'hote
at q foreign spa. $751;.
Mr.. Brundson has for many years had
entire charge of Queen AleXandra's pets; but,
once or twice week, she herself makes the
rounds OF the kennels. She puts on a big
white apron, takes baskets Of Bread and
begins her visit.
Pandemonium is turned loose, for every dog
In the kennels adores her and bursts into
enthusiastic welcomes at the sound OF her
voice. The most stubborn and unmanageable
OF the big dogs obeys her slightest word, and
she hasn't idea of what the word fear
means, in connection with dogs.
Each kennel has an inner room supplied
with iron bedstead and straw mattress.
Adjoining this room. is an open room, FUR
nished with fresh straw and water.
Every sanitary precaution is taken The
kennels are built round a central yard and be-
hind them are liberal grass runs. kennel
kitchen, where meals for the dogs are boiled
in huge copper pots, and a larder filled With
oatmeal, biscuits and other supplies adjoins
the kennels.
There Is big bathhouse too, and at stated
intervals each dog is vigorously tubbed. Meal
hon ohco1 rtnIx "a
have one meal a. day, the little dogs two
meals, and each dog is exercised as religiously
as priZefghter in training.
Two hours is the allotted time for exer-
else and the hounds start the ball rolling, at
o'clock in the morning. The bassetts have
their turn next. and it goes, until, late
in the day, the small dogs punched under
the head OF miscellanies and taken out to-
gether.
There is dog hospital in the kennels-a
delightfully."- sunny place fitted out with in
valid comforts and, discreetly retired so that
it may not dampen the spirits of the cheer
full living, also a dog graveyard where any
dog that falls by the way is of a green
plot and a tombstone appropriately inscribed.
The queen is as found Of her stables as of
her kennels. They were built especially for
her and are picturesque buildings around a
very large court. The inside walls are COW
cred with while glazed thing and each stall
bears the royal coat Of arms and handsome
brass mountings, while the name of the
horse appears in grass mounted on red and
blue, above each manger.
The sanctum sanctorum of the stables dedi-
Gated to the queens favorite horses, has
silver fittings. Here are kept in STALLS her
four driving ponies Bena, Beau, Merry Antics
and Belle. Stable gossip has 1t that Bena and
Beau sport false tails; but that may be 3
taradiddle started by the envious tandem
ponies, Mite and Puffy, or by the ill-natured
Deacon, who bellies his name by being the
most vicious brute in the stables.
. The queen was a fearless and enthusiastic
rider in earlier days, hunting in good and
bad weather, over any sort OF country
She now prefers driving to riding, being an
excellent whip. Her motor car has not Won
its way to her favor and though she uses l;
sometimes, she always takes someone "ltn
her to run the motor.
= The harness room at the stables makes
fine showing of saddles and handsome riding
whips and crops. There, too, are host OF
souvenirs Of dead and gone equine friends
chief among them u beautiful model OF F1ra
the riding back, who was for years prime
favorite Of the queen.
In the old days two bears were among
Queen Alexandra's pets, but they have beer
exed and collection Of bantams has theil
place. The bantams also overflow into tho
kings pleasantly, which Is his great hobby
and in which the queen takes a lively inter
est
She likes to watch the incubators which
turn out about 10000 pheasant chicks a year
but she stoutly insists that no pheasant eve
Matched can compare with one of her i'm
pertinent and prize winning hantams.
Then there is the dove house. A white dow
presented to the queen on the occasion OF
visit to Ireland was the progenitor OF the dow
cote brood, but now there is a mighty trib
OF descendants and the queen has traine
many of them.
Willie is the favored dove and can boas
of many day passed in royaity's boudoir
So can the cockatoo; but the latter made tn
mistake that has queered many roya
favorite before hinl Like Beau Brummel an
his peers, the famous cockatoo grew lnsoen
with indulgence and years. His temper suf
fered and he talked when it would hav
been wiser to keep still.
At last after long years in the queen
own apartments he was banished. The hun
dred-year- old bird hasn't entirely fallen troT
grace. His mistress sometimes visits MIN an
he -wheedles her with every art in his cate
CORY but the dressing room doors are shu
no him. Royal favor is a ticklish thing an
the .cockatoo doubtless shrieks bitter com
mentaries on the transitory nature OF grea,
pass "a he swings violently on his ornaments