Evening star., 1937-09-26
By VeSta CUMMINGS.

10 YOUR dog is a thoroughbred,
~ is he?
OF course, he's the smartest
- pup in the world and you love
him almost as much as he loves you,
but what is 'registered' dog and
what qualities must he have to be
called 'pedigreed"?
At the moment there are about
100000 registered dogs in the United
States, whereas the dog population is
estimated at 100000, one canine for
of the 100000 owners of registration
papers few have investigated just what
those documents mean and how royal
is the blood of the puppies who chew
up their bed room slippers.
Does your dogs pedigree go way
back, like those of the monarchs and
ex-monarchs OF Europe? Does 1t even
go as far back as $50 years, like the
members of the D. A. r.?
The answer is no. A pedigree is
record of ancestry for at least three
generations, and to be called pedigreed
a dog must naturally have both parents
OF the same breed. And three dog
generations are very brief, as every
one who has lost pet knows.
1t may be that your dog has record
of uniform stock for long time, but
he cannot have a registered history OF
more than SO years, because the first
stud book in America was not issued
until May, 1884. In that book 807 dogs
were listed. representatives of only a
few breeds, many breeds popular today
being unknown then.
And what, then, is a breed? Until
very recent times all dogs were mon
grels or mixed breeds, just as are
people. evolving through natural Sc
lection. Today in South Africa wild
dogs still abound, dogs who made a
chattering noise and haven't much
hair, and in all parts of the globe
animals are found that would look
very strange to those of us brought
up with terriers and collies. Dogs have
roamed the earth by the sides of their
masters for thousands of years, as
even the crude stone carvings of the
cave man era reveal. But no Scotch
terriers. no Boston bulls or no Bedling-
ton terriers populated the primeval
forests then. All of these are arti-
ficially made" and as new as tele-
vision, comparatively speaking.
1t was amateur breeders, lost in
history, who first attempted to per-
petuate the hunting skill or fierceness
or some other desirable characteristic
of favorite dogs in their packs by
selective breeding.
OCCASIONALLY dog breeders ac-
complish changes in dogs that
must make them feel akin to the deity,
like turning the bulldog from blood
thirsty beast into the great sentimental
fraud he is today, despite his ugliness.
Once upon time the bulldog was a
really mean animal, bred in England
for bull batting, sport that originated
in the twelfth century. 1t wasn't
until 1885 that public feeling turned
against the sport and it was dubbed
barbarous and prohibited by law.
Righteous citizens came to Shun the
bulldog because of the company he
kept-those awful sporting folk who
liked seeing bulls torn apart. Lovers
Of the breed finally got up petition
against the breed dying out, and so
he was bred to the pug dog and eventu-
ally acquired not only the beautiful
character he has today but his short
nose and bowed legs.
In modern breeding pair is first
selected for qualities the breeder
admires. Sports are likely to be thrown
oC In successive litters for several dog
generations until parents are finally
obtained which will produce dogs like
themselves consistently. AS soon as
a large number Of similar dogs produce
offspring like themselves the breed is
established as pure breed, and is SO
announced; in America principally by
the American Kennel Club.
Today there are 10l recognized
breeds OF dogs in the United States
with 225 clearly recognized types
scattered over the face of the earth
For Great Britain, Ireland, Canada
>. Australia and the United States breed,
are practically the same, while France
has an additional 80 or so pure breed!
and Germany, Italy and Belgium q
number of distinctive dog types.
Who has the power to say whether
or not your dog may be registered
There are several registration bodies
but no international organization. Ir
America the American Kennel Club
with Offices in New York City, is the
most important body of the dos
: fancy" Through it an average Of
$4,000 new dogs is registered annually
70 The American Field Club stud book
gotten out in Chicago, specializes or
bird dogs and registers around 1900