The Pug. 411 



their ' being short-legged,' unless it is. qualified or used relatively, and 

 its exact meaning more clearly defined. I know a great many writers 

 have used these terms in describing the pug, but I hold that thia 

 shortness of leg is more apparent than real, and that it is the wide 

 and deep chest and round barrel that make the fore legs especially 

 look shorter than they are. Meyrick, who, on the whole, gives an 

 excellent description of the pug, also says that he should stand low 

 on the leg ; but all of these writers use similar terms in speaking of 

 the Skye terrier, Dandie Dinmont terrier, and the dachshund, and, 

 therefore, I do not think they should be used in describing the pug. 



" ' Stonehenge ' says, 'the general appearance is low and thickset,' 

 and ' the body as close to the ground as possible,' which latter expres- 

 sion is, I think, absurd, as no such dog could have what he also 

 insists on, ' an elegant outline.' The same writer adds, ' chest wide, 

 deep, and round.' Now, I would ask, how can you have a dog agreeing 

 to that description stand ' Stonehenge' s ' maximum height of loin., 

 and not exceed his maximum weight of ten pownds ? Meyrick, too, 

 I consider, contradicts his own expression, 'low on the leg,' by giving 

 as a maximum height 14in. Now, taking * Stonehenge's ' figures of 

 height and weight, suppose a 14in. dog to weigh 91b., he would 

 stand from SJin. to 4in. higher at the shoulder than a 161b. Dandie 

 Dinmont. I have just roughly measured the engravings in ' Stonehenge's ' 

 'Dogs of the British Islands' and 'The Sportsman's Cabinet,' and 

 should say the length from outside of hips to front of chest is not 

 more than one-fifteenth over the height at shoulder, and such pro- 

 portion will not apply to what is generally understood by a short-legged 

 dog. I would describe a pug as a squarely built, thickset dog, standing 

 on straight legs of moderate length, the height at shoulder and length 

 of body being nearly equal. If we are to have short legged dogs we 

 shall have a race of King Koffees that much overrated animal, whose 

 conformation of body and legs approaches the dachshund. 



"I think it would be interesting if owners of acknowledged good 

 pups, such as Mrs. Bligh Monck's Tom and Sambo, Mr. Chapman's 

 Leo, Mr. Hicken's Max, Mr. Key's Jumbo, Mr. Nunn's Barron, Miss 

 G. E. M. Croker's Punch, and others, would give the height at 

 shoulder, length of body, and weight of their dogs. Perhaps Mrs. 

 Foster would also give your readers weight and measurement of King 



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