30 



MY DOG AND I. 



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and strong ; nostrils open, but not very wide ; cheeks muscular ; 

 bone under e3^e neither prominent nor hollow. Ears small, thin, 

 carried a trifle higher than those of the greyhound, but should turn 

 over at tips ; pricked ears very objectionable ; they should be thinly 

 fringed with hair at edges only. Eyes full, and dark hazel, some- 

 times blue. 



Neck. — Long enough to allow the dog to stoop to the scent at 

 a fast pace. 



Chest and Shoulders. — Chest deep rather than wide, resem- 

 bling that of greyhound ; girth of a full-size dog deerhound should 

 be at least 2 inches greater than its height ; shoulders long, oblique, 

 and muscular. 



Back and Back Ribs. — Back should be powerful; a good loin 

 should measure 25 or 26 inches; back ribs are often rather shal- 

 low, but they should be well sprung ; loins arched, drooping to 

 root of tail. 



Elbows and Stifles. — Elbows well let down to give length to 

 true arm, and quite straight ; stifles wide apart, well bent. 



Symmetry is essential to its position as a companionable dog. 



Quality is also to be regarded as of great importance. 



Legs and Quarters. — Great bone and muscle are essential; 

 the bones must be well put together at knees and hocks, which 

 should be long and well developed ; quarters deep, but seldom 

 wide, with considerable slope to tail. 



Feet. — Well arched and cat-like. 



Color and Coat. — The colors are dark blue, fawn, grizzle, 

 and brindle, the latter with more or less tint of blue ; the fawn 

 should have tips of ears dark ; the grizzle generally has a decided 

 tint of blue ; white on breast or toes should not disqualify a dog. 

 Coat is coarser on back than elsewhere, and many claim it should 

 be intermediate between silk and wool, and not the coarse hair 

 often met with. The whole body is clothed with a rough coat, 

 sometimes amounting to shagginess ; that of muzzle is longer in 

 proportion than elsewhere, but the mustache should not be wiry, 

 and should stand out in irregular tufts ; there should be no ap- 

 proach to feather on legs, but their inside should be hairy. 



Tail. — Long and gently curved, without any twist, thinly 

 clothed with hair only. 



