Evening star., 1939-04-09

bulldog, needless to say. did not
chase the bull; the ancestor of our
modern Airedales did that. odd
English merely stood his ground
and as the maddened animal dashed
by made the single plunge for the
throat which, If wrongly aimed.
meant death under the galloping
hooves or, even when a grip was
secured might mean batterlng to
death before that grip could be
loosened. In 1882 Mr.. Prestwick
Eaton wrote from Spain to friend
in London asking the latter to pur-
chase "a good massive dogge and
two good bulldogs" and later he
asks for two more. saying "let them
be good at the bull and cost what
they will"
Courageous Animal.
A writer on all breeds says that
the 18th century ancestor of our
bulldog was not only the most
courageous dog in the world, but
the most courageous animal in the
world More because of revulsion
against mans cruelty in the sport
than against the dog which carried
out his masters wishes. however,
the bulldog declined greatly in popu-
larity. In 1850 there were hardly
more than 500 in Great Britain. But
the 500 remained true to two tradl-
tional characteristics. They kept
their great hearts, the courage
which was their distinguishing fea-
ture. and even today, according to
the same authority are the only
dogs which can be relied upon, what
ever the odds. always to face the
enemy and attack from the front.
The other characteristic the bull
dog has retained is his desire to do
what is desired of him. No dog is
more dependent upon the love of his
owner, more responsive to affection
or more crushed by censure. These
traits have kept the bulldog steadily
beloved and have put him 10th on
the list of over 100 breeds whose
records are kept by the American
Kennel Club.
Other, more informal records are
kept by their owners. Such tales
indicate the reason why the bull
dog is pre- eminently the dog for
small children, and include the tale
of the dog and the 3-year-old. left
alone while the mother went about
her daily tasks. Realizing that her
young hopeful was suspiciously
quiet, she tiptoed to the open door,
to see what he might be doing. The
bulldog was sitting in the center
of the room, while the child was
industriously taking pins from his
mothers pincushion and sticking
them in the dog. With escape pos
sible on every side. the dog sat still,
wearing a look of panied surprise,
but showing his distaste for the
proceedings in no more forcible way.
Small wonder that buyers who ask
If small child will be safe with
bulldog are cautioned that some
times they must make sure the dog
is safe with the child!
Correctly speaking. there is only
one bulldog. A cousin is the bull
terrier. built on quite different lines,
for he has long legs. thin body,
prick4up ears and straight, long tail.
The white Cavalier" is a much
more aggressive fighter. but is also
a gentle and reliable guardian for
children. The terrier in him makes
him more nervous. less pacific, than
his boW-legged cousin, but he is con-
sequently more on the alert. Which
of the two a burglar or kidnaper
fears more it would be hard to say.
American Originals.
Another relative, and most pop
ular one, is the Boston terrier, which
shares with the Chesapeake Bay
the honor of being of pure American
origin. The French bulldog, small,
bat-eared and deep-sea-gaited, is
closest of all the English bulldog
in true blood relationship. This
solemn. pop-eyed little fellow is
more or less rare today. which is
a pity. for. like his English relative.
he is sure cure for a crouch.
Naturally, those who own fine
dogs like to show them and, since
purebred dogs are increasing yearly,
dog shows are too. The A. K. C.
registered 82,825 dogs during 1888
and II breeds ran over thousand,
with cocker spaniels totaling 1884.
Spread over the country from Maine
to Hawaii were 1886 shows with
championship point rating, and in
the all-breed fixtures 97,774 dogs
were benched. Seventh in the Big