4 i2 BRITISH DOGS 



the writer has it that the little marked bitch Champion Woodcote 

 Pride, when a young puppy, developed such a plain and ugly 

 head that her breeder was several times on the point of drowning 

 her ; in fact, the bitch was only saved by the intervention of his 

 wife. Afterwards the head grew into the ordinary type, and when 

 full grown there never was a Bull-terrier bitch with a better-shaped 

 head. The head should be level and the eyes small and dark 

 (light eyes are a great fault) ; the fore legs should be straight and 

 the body short. Though in the adult a curl in the tail is a fault, 

 yet young puppies not over teething carry their tails indifferently, 

 and this point need not be too seriously considered in an otherwise 

 promising specimen. As is well known, it was at one time the 

 custom to shave the ears and fine the tails of show Bull-terriers, 

 and this mild form of trimming was allowed by the Kennel Club ; 

 but it has since been abolished. 



One often sees the character of the Bull-terrier assailed, and 

 this no doubt has in the past acted prejudicially against the breed. 

 In a thirty years' experience with the breed the writer has never 

 fallen across a better breed of game dog that at the same time 

 was capable of a greater degree of affection. With children he 

 has found them perfectly reliable, though he has kept alike the 

 " business " kind and the show-bench modifications of them. 

 That the Bull-terrier will fight, and to the bitter end, if provoked, 

 is perfectly true ; but to say that he is, as a breed, of a quarrelsome 

 disposition is a libel. Once a Bull-terrier does really get hold, 

 he is a most tenacious animal, and neither sticks nor kicks nor 

 the usual dodges for separating fighting dogs seem to avail. Some 

 Bull-terriers, despite their scanty coat, make very good water- 

 dogs, while as house-dogs they excel. When cropping was rife, 

 a goodly number of deaf dogs were met with ; and it was thought 

 this was a result of unduly exposing a part of a very delicate 

 structure. Other white domestic animals are, however, often 

 deaf cats, for instance ; and Bull-terriers of to-day are frequently 

 deaf. 



Some few years ago the Bull-terrier Club made a praiseworthy 

 attempt to produce a pocket edition of the larger animal ; but to 

 judge by the comparatively few and indifferent specimens met with, 

 not much success attended their efforts. This is to be regretted, 

 as now that cropping is a thing of the past, a hardy little dog on the 

 lines of the Bull-terrier ought certainly to find a place. Still, the 

 fact remains the Club's efforts were a failure, as they could not 

 get hold of any specimens of the correct type. All the so-called 

 Toy Bull-terriers had apple heads, goggle eyes, and " beaks " like 

 parrots, and altogether were abominations to anyone familiar with 

 a typical Bull-terrier. The writer, in the course of a fairly long 

 experience, can only call to mind two Toy Bull-terriers that were 



