The Washington herald., 1914-03-08
BY ANDREW p. o'coNoR.

BY ANDREW p. O'coN0R.
The American dog breeders having
failed in their efforts to have the Ameri-
can Kennel Club establish separate
classes for English dogs which are i'm
ported into this country at fapuious
prices merely for the purpose OF ~innins
the prizes offered, will now appeal 70
Congress to have a law enacted wnlcn
will compel importers to keep their pur-
chases in quarantine for al leas' siA
months.
A similar law has been in force In Ene-
land about twenty years, which has mace
dog breeding In England one OF tne mus
profitable Industries in the BRUSH isiee
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are eA-
pended annually by American miiiionaires
for champion dogs The reputauon VI
the English dogs, on account OF ehe aaa
antine law, is worldwide. and iancies
believe that disease among British dogs
is unknown, whereas distemper Is reaiiy
more prevalent in England tnan N
America. The Right Hon. the EAR oi
Seton, IN conversation with the "ri.er'
made the statement that England an
nuaIly loses millions of pounos sueriiis
by the ravages OF distemper alone 10.
there seems to be no cure Tor II
our laws do not prohibit the landing OF
any dog. provided it has peoigree Vi
three generations.
Advantage of British breeders.
A about % per cent of the money spent
annually for high-bred prize-winning
dogs. goes to English breeders, they can
therefore, afford to spend the. time IN
producing high-class specimens, "hhe
the American breeder receives neither en-
couragement nor remuneration ior MS
dogs, as there is practically no demand
here except for English stock. Inc
expenses
OF the American Kennel Club. which is
operated solely for the benefit OF Eng
lish breeders. The standards py Whicn
dogs are Judged are made by Enghsn-
men, and Englishmen are employed oy
many of our lar-est shows to Judge ooss'
which they do honestly and tairiy, Win
the result that the valuable prizes are
given to English dogs, owned by Ameri-
can nillionaires, who embark in the pusl-
ness merely for the notoriety that own
inr winning dogs gives them rev Oh
the owners would know their own ooss
from a stone image. and instead OF tne
average millionaire being beneht, ne is
a hindrance TO the dog industry. inas-
much as he prefers buying ready maoe
champions to breeding them
In the early days of dog breeding IN
this country, the American Kennel Clup
accomplished great good, which wouio
have continued had selfish politics ana
neutrality-suspicious. been either Kept OUT, OF
forced to show their ready-maoe cham-
pions in classes maze espeeiaS Ava
them. ,o.5.r
A few years ago a Texas oreeoef
sbInnad several smooth-coated fox ter
riers to England for exhibition purposee,
They were kept in quarantine tne usu
six months, in charge OF man sen.
over with them They were SHOW"
the hest clubs in England, and MADE
clean sweep under English judges, VINO
are invariably fair, and on account OF
their experience in handling the hisnes'
types, are excellent judges.
iT American importers were forced 20
Eaen their dogs in quarantine TOT SIX
rnonths. our breeders would then nave =
chance to win some prizes and eventusny
find a profitable market for their surplus
stock.
..Reciprocity" Lessons Laws Foree'
The National Dog Breeders Associa-
tim. which was organized IN isio, mas
done more for American breeders ourihs
its short existence than the Anerieeh
Kennel Club has done IN tne PsN
years: but even the law which was pasoea
on october 8, 1913, has been practcahy
annuled by a sort of a reciprocity agree
vent between the American and the Eng
Ii.h Kennel clubs; so. the American oreeo-i
er has but one more caro- 10 pray eu
that is the proposed quarantine h",
drawn up along the lines OF the laws Oh
Great Britain. x,r,
.dr,itte5 into England without having to
remain in quarantine are what may DC
termed performing dogs, ano ooss
ouned by members of the diplomatic
service. Why such animals are thus IA
,-,rad has not been made quite clear TO
dog fanciers. -s
All other dogs imported into England
must wear a set of harness, Wnlcn mas
been sealed by a government ofhcial' ana
in addition, the dog must wear muz-
zIe and remain in quarantine for perioo
of six months.
This law is Objectionable to British
snortsmen who spend annually over sloo'-
ooO. 600 in the maintenance of clubs de-
yoted IN fox, otter and deer hunting, and
rreyhound coursing. These gentlemen
would welcome matches between Ameri-
can and English dogs. Just as they well
come matches between American athletes
and race horses with those Of the British
Isles.
-rbere are no fairer sportsmen in the
world than the gentlemen of Great Brit
ain. none of whom recognizes the Eng
lish Kennel Club. They maintain their
own stud books. and for that reason. II
one wished to import a dog from the ken
nels of the Duke Of Leeds, the Earl OF
Seton, Hon. George Fawcett, Oliver
Jones. or any of the sportsmen in the
British Isles. a duty would have to be
paid, because this government recognizes
only the English Kennel Clubs pedigrees.
The American Kennel Club will recog-
nize the English Kennel Clubs pedigrees,
which are acceptable to this government
provided they contain three generations,
while the same club demands that Ameri-
can-bred dogs must have five generations
in order to be eligible for registration.
The English quarantine law was enact
ed for the benefit of the commercial dog
breeders of England. who not only re-
ceive the benefit of the English quaran-
tine law, but the American Kennel Club,
as well as the American publications de-
voted to the interest of the dog, which
carry the advertisements of English dog
breeders absolutely free of charge, as is
evidenced by the following letter to The
Herald from a firm which
handles about s5 per cent of all the dogs
exported from England:
Arrangement Explained.
'22 Golden Lane, Barbican,
London, E. c.. Feb. q, 1914
The Washington Herald,
Washington, d. c.
Gentlemen: We beg to acknowledge re-
ceipt Of your favor of the 7th inst, and
have to say that the journals on your
side devoted to dogs insert our advertise
ments free Of charge in exchange for