28 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



of limb, fairly heavy in bone, but not "leggy" ; 

 the hair should be straight, rough to the touch, 

 and m no sense woolly or silky. The best dogs 

 have conspicuous eyebrows and beard. There 

 should be no dewlap nor throatiness, as this is 

 an active working breed, which should be al- 

 ways in good fighting trim. 



BORZOI, OR RUSSIAN WOLFHOUND 



(Fm illustration, sec page 26) 



Tliose who proclaim the Russian wolfhound, 

 or borzoi, the most wonderful dog in the 

 world have strong grounds for their opinion. 

 Of great size, a marvelous silky coat not long 

 enough to hide his graceful lines, speed almost 

 equal to a greyhound's, strength almost equal 

 to that of an Irish wolf dog, and with long, 

 muscular jaws, like a grizzly-bear trap, it is no 

 wonder that he is such a favorite, and that 

 beautiful women are so proud of his company. 



But the gods always withhold something 

 even from those whom they favor most, and 

 the borzois we have seen appeared to lack 

 both the keen intelligence and the frank ex- 

 pression characteristic of their British cousins. 



We know that the champions of the breed 

 will differ from us in this, but the fact remains 

 that the form of the Russian dog's head leaves 

 little room for brains. 



In Russia these hounds are used in wolf- 

 hunting. The wolves are first driven out of 

 the woods by smaller dogs or by beaters, and 

 when a wolf comes into the open two or three 

 borzois, well matched as to speed and courage, 

 are unleashed and sent after him. 



They are trained to seize the wolf, one on 

 each side, just behind the ears, and they 

 should do this both at the same moment, so 

 that their antagonist cannot use his formidable 

 teeth on either of them. They hold their 

 quarry until the huntsman arrives, leaps from 

 his horse, and either dispatches the wolf with 

 a knife or muzzles him and carries him off to 

 be used in training young dogs in a large, railed 

 inclosure made on purpose. 



This handsome animal should be of extreme 

 slenderness of head, leg, and waist ; narrow 

 through the shoulders, but very deep in the 

 chest. Pasterns and hocks well let down, and, 

 like the greyhound and whippet, the borzoi 

 should have the back strongly arched or 

 reached to give play to the enormous unbend- 

 ing spring. The legs are straighter than in the 

 greyhound, especially at the stifle. 



Color is not a cardinal feature, as in Russia 

 at least the borzoi is really used for wolf- 

 hunting and the color is unimportant. Here 

 and in England, however, where they are kept 

 solely for their graceful beauty, those in which 

 white predominates, with head and flank mark- 

 ings of lemon, bay, brown, or black, are favor- 

 ites. 



The head should be extremely slender and 

 narrow, the coat deep, silky, and nearly straight, 

 the eyes full and round. Indeed, the eyes of 

 the best dogs look rather flat and scared to 

 one who sees them for the first time. In spite 



of his slender, rather obsequious, appearance, 

 the borzoi is a serious opponent when in 

 trouble. 



Woolly hair, bent pasterns, straight back, 

 "cow hocks,'' and a gaily carried tail are all 

 defects to be avoided. 



GREAT DANE 



(For illustration, see page s^) 



Not quite so swift as the greyhound, deer- 

 hound, or wolfhound, the great Dane is more 

 powerful than any of them and fast enough to 

 overtake most things that run. .At his best he 

 is a huge dog, built on greyhound lines, but 

 much more massive. 



This is probably one of the very oldest 

 breeds, and has been used for ages in hunting 

 all kinds of wild animals. In Germany this 

 dog is still used for hunting the wild boar, but 

 in most places he is now regarded as a com- 

 panion and a guardian of property. 



The great Dane is a typical German dog, and 

 is in fact a synonym of "Deutsche Dogge," by 

 which name he is known throughout central 

 Europe. 



Like all oversized dogs, the Dane is given to 

 many weaknesses, both of body and of dispo- 

 sition. The perfect Dane is a most statuesque 

 and magnificent animal; the ordinary one is 

 indeed an ordinary dog. Very seldom, and for 

 an exorbitant price, we may get a dog that 

 lives up to the standard, with strong, straight 

 legs and back, massive deep head, strong, close 

 feet, and, most essential of all, even and trust- 

 worthy temper. Far more often, though, prom- 

 ising puppies grow up to be saggy in the back, 

 cow-hocked behind, and rabbit-footed in front, 

 and while elephantinely playful as 100-pound 

 pups, surly and really dangerous as grown 

 dogs. When properly housed, restrained, and 

 exercised, they are splendid creatures. 



But often they outgrow the capacity of their 

 owners to care for them, when they become 

 the bane of the neighborhood : for the truth is 

 they are too big and too dangerous to be al- 

 lowed unhampered freedom, and the fright 

 they cause, even in play, among people unac- 

 quainted with their ways, renders them fre- 

 quently very unwelcome adjuncts to a neigh- 

 borhood. In addition to their power and size, 

 they have a rather excitable and impatient dis- 

 position, which unfits them at once as children's 

 playmates. 



There are few things which have such a 

 healthful moral effect upon a criminal as to find 

 a big, resolute great Dane standing squarely 

 across his path. If the criminal is a judge of 

 dogs, he may read in the grim face a look 

 which says, "You shall not pass." and if he 

 isn't a fool, he'll "go while the going is good." 



A few years ago a burglar in Missouri met 

 :i Dane in this way, and either failed to read 

 the danger sign or thought the dog was bluff- 

 ing. He was strangled to death in front of 

 the window by which he was attempting to 

 enter the house, and the verdict for the dog 

 was "justifiable homicide." 



