The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-29
SOME FACTS ABOUT DOGS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

In spite of the disdainful and patrician expressions on the canine countenances at a modern dog show, indicative of countless generations of social supremacy in the animal kingdom, the actual origin of the dog is more completely shrouded in obscurity than that of any of the do- nestle animals Naturalsts are still wrangling over his parent stock, arguing that 1t is almost impossible for the 1S5 known varieties to be all descended from one kind, whatever it might have been. The world of dog lovers Is only indebted to America for the production of two new species.
 Best known of these two Is the Boston terrier, the little round-headed, brindled bull terrier which is good for nothing ex- cept ornamentation. A little over thirty years ago Robert c. Hooper of Boston purchased a nodescript little dog from William O'Brien, also of Boston. The newcomer was a half-breed bull and ter rier of the fighting type, dark brindle in color with a blazed face. With this ma terial MT. Hooper went to work to pro- duce a new type, and by adding a golden color, milder lip, and regulating the marking on the head, he at last pro- duced the Boston terrier. This breed is altogether American, but 1t has only been admitted to the shows during the past ten years. For long time 1t was scornfully referred to by the owners of the purer breed as that little bullet-headed pup from Massachusetts" Whether from pa- triotism or genuine appreciation, the Bos- ton terrier is now the most popular dog In America except the collie.
 The other dog which America has pro- duced is the Chesapeake Bay retriever, VI bFIf ie al more obscure than the Boston terrier. these dogs are great favorites at the Carroll Island club, near Baltimore, as they are water retrievers and can be used for duck shooting. General Latrobo, who has charge of the dogs of the Carroll Island club, gives this story of their or igin: "A number of years ago a vessel from Newfoundland ran aground near an estate called Walnut Grove on the shores of the Chesapeake. The estate belonged to MT. George Law. a member of we'll known Maryland family. On board were two Newfoundland dogs which were given to MT. Law by the captain In re- turn for his hospitality. The Chesapeake Bay retriever is a cross between those two dogs and the black and tan hounds, or coon dogs, of that section" This dog Is enormously popular in the west, par ticularly in Portland, Seattle and other points along the Pacific coast.
 America has done much to push the fad for the modern bulldog, for the word has gone out to dog fanciers of every land that they cannot be too numerous or dis torted to please the judges of an Ameri- can dog show. Each year their legs get farther apart and their faces uglier. if that Is possible. Dog fanciers are now predicting a reaction in bulldog breeding which ell a fO va cfanI Ifc,f fIo ,-4a inal type of short-nosed mastiff which fought bulls in Spain and England in 1860, then fell into such bad repute in 1885. The first presentable bulldog shown in this country was sent from England in 1SS0.
 It Is from this class that all the biggest dogs come. The largest canine of which there is any record was a St. Bernard named Giant Rector" who measured six and a half feet from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, and measured thir- ty-four and half inches to the top of his shoulders. He was displayed all over the country as the biggest dog in the world. When he Is compared with the smallest of all the toy dogs, a Mexican poodle, which measures seven inches from tip to tip. and weighs only a few ounces, it Is indeed cause for wonder if they
 
 great dane is a prime favorite with Amer jeans, and there are more of them in this country than of any other one breed When the Prince of Wales left this con- tinent after his memorable visit, he was presented with an enormous great dane, the biggest that had ever been seen at that time.
 The highly cultivated dogs in this coun- try represent a considerable investment of American capital, and some of the kennels shelter canine kings which are almost priceless Until 1890, sfOOO was the highest price that had ever been paid for an imported dog, John E. Thayer giving that for a fox terrier, but later Richard Croker bought white English bull which cost him S10,000. J. Pierpont Morgan has the finest collection of collit. .-in the world. The collie Is undeniably the peer of dogs in America. and has for years enjoyed unchallenged supremacy. MT. Morgan's kennels contain some of the most perfect specimens of the fanciers art and pa tience. His exhibits, with those of Sam uel Untermyer of Yonkers, New York, are sufficient to crowd the halls of any show.