The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-05-30
SOME FACTS ABOUT DOGS
Only Two New Species Produced in America.
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKs.

In spite OF the disdainful and pa |
trician expressions on the canine
countenances at modern dog show,
indicative of countless generations OF
social supremacy in the animal king
dom, the actual origin of the dog is
more completely shrouded in obscur-
fty than that of any of the domestic
animals. Naturalists are still wrang-
ling over his parent stock, arguing
that It is almost impossible for the
1S5 known varieties to be all de-
scended from. one kind, whatever It
might have been. The world OF dog
lovers Is indebted to America for the
production of only two new species.
Best known of these two is the
Boston terrier, the little, round head
ed, brindled ball terrier which is
good for nothing except ornamental
tion. A little more than thirty years
ago Robert c. Hooper, of Boston,
purchased a nondescript little dog
from William O'Brien, also of Bos-
ton. The newcomer was a halfbreed
bull and terrier of the fighting type,
dark brindle in color, with blazed
face. With this material Mr.. Hoop
er went to work to produce a new
type, and by adding a golden color,
a milder lip and regulating the mark
ing on the head he at last produced
the Boston terrier. This breed is al
together American, but 1t has been
admitted to the shows only during
the last ten years. For long time
1t was scornfully referred to by the
owners of the purer breed as that
little bullet-headed pup from Massa-
chusetts." Whether from patriotism
or genuine appreciation, the Boston
terrier is now the most popular dog
in America, except the collie.
The other dog which America has
produced is the Chesapeake Bay re-
triever, the birth of which is as acci-
dental and even 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 Latrobe,
who has charge of the dogs of the
Carroll Island Club, gives this story
of their origin: "a number of years
ago a vessel from Newfoundland ran
aground near an estate called Wal
nut Grove, on the shores of the Ches-
apeake. The estate belonged to Geo.
Law, a member of a well known
Maryland family. On board were
two Newfoundland dogs, which were
given to Mr.. Law by the captain in
return for his hospitality. The Ches-
apeake retriever is a cross between
those two dogs and the black anc tan
hounds, or coon dogs of that sec
ton" This dog is enormously popu-
lar in the West, particularly in Port
land, Seattle and other points along
the Pacific Coast.
America has done much to push
the fad for the modern bulldog, fol
the word has gone out to dog fan.
ciers of very land that they cannot
be too monstrous or distorted tC
please the judges of an American dos
show Each year their legs get fur
ther apart and their faces uglier, Il
that is possible Dog fanciers are
now predicting reaction in bulldog
breeding, which shall seek to re-es-
tablish the original type of short.
nosed mastiff which fought bulls in
Spain and England in 1900, then fell
into such bad repte in 1888. The
first presentable bulldog shown in
/ this country was sent from England
| in 1850.
General Lafayette sent the first
st. Bernard dogs to America. When
he came back here in 1924 he met ]
F. Skinner, ex-Assistant Postmaster
General, who was at that time great
ly interested in dogs. With the aid
of General Lafayette he brought tc
America some excellent spaniels, and
in 1880 General Lafayette sent him
two big st. Bernards. They were the
first of their kind that America had
seen, and the fad for them was in
stantaneous. The prices for big dogs
of all kinds Immediately scared, ant
as soon as st. Bernards were estab
lished the puppies sold for severa
hundred dollars, and the full grown