448 BRITISH DOGS 



felt ; but these are mere accidental purchases, and fall only to the 

 cutest of the Fancy. For all this it is quite possible, even in these 

 enlightened days, for an owner to possess an animal of quite 

 exceptional merit, and yet not be aware of the fact, at any rate 

 for a long time. A noteworthy instance of this occurred at the 

 Manchester Show of 1896, when a ten-year-old Wire-haired Fox- 

 terrier literally swept the board under such an efficient judge as 

 Mr. Maxwell. The dog in question was Jackson, owned by Mr. S. 

 Morgan, who was quite ignorant of the fact that he possessed such 

 a prize until Mr. Tom Ashton enlightened him on the subject. 

 The dog was all white, and was entered without any pedigree. 

 Even at the advanced age given the dog was in an extraordinarily 

 well-preserved state ; he possessed an excellent front, good legs and 

 feet, a capital coat, a nice head with level mouth and first-class 

 teeth, and of course the much-prized Terrier character. This case 

 is worthy of being recorded, as it is unique in the annals of 

 dog-showing for a dog's light to be hidden under the proverbial 

 bushel until ten years old, and then for him suddenly to leap 

 into fame. 



Trimming is more in vogue with the Wire-haired than the 

 Smooth-haired variety, and by many is regarded as a legitimate form 

 of show preparation ; but by the Kennel Club it is constituted faking. 

 However, the operation may be so deftly performed as to defy 

 detection. Cutting and singeing of the coat would be readily 

 discovered, as there are many tell-tale marks on a coat so treated, 

 but not so trimming. In the case of dogs which are exhibited now 

 and then, the operation only has to be conducted a sufficiently long 

 time before the show for the coat to present but a normal appearance. 

 Of course, all dogs do not require an equal amount of trimming : 

 it differs with the individual. The novice should see such dogs 

 "before" and "after "the moulting-room to thoroughly appreciate 

 the difference in appearance. In the case of dogs that go the 

 round of shows, and which grow an objectionable coat, these are 

 constantly being touched up almost every day, in fact the trimming 

 being on the little-and-often principle. To trim a Terrier of any 

 kind is not easy. The operator requires an eye for symmetry, and 

 a knowledge of what to leave alone. In front of the eye requires 

 very special manipulation, as by removing too much hair the 

 " devil-may-care " look that a typical Wire-haired Fox-terrier has 

 would be wanting. The muzzle by over-trimming may be made 

 to look snipy, which is certainly not desirable ; whereas by having 

 the short hair left there, and this combed the wrong way of the 

 wool, the appearance of a dog with a tendency to snipiness would 

 be vastly improved. It is, however, by breeding, and not by 

 trimming and coat-hardening solutions, that the ideal coat should 

 be produced, and until this fact is fully recognised the Fox-terrier 



