SELLING 



Selling. — It very often is a far harder matter to sell 

 a good dog than people may believe when they hear of 

 the prices which are alleged to have been paid for speci- 

 mens of different breeds. Of course many — very many — of 

 the transactions referred to are simply bogus, it being a 

 case of A purchasing a dog from B, and the two parlies to 

 the deal agreeing to state that a very much larger sum 

 was paid than that which actually changed hands. Indeed, 

 it often occurs that a cheque for a large amount is shown 

 about, the amount stated thereon being supposed to re- 

 present what was paid for the dog, whereas the vendor 

 agrees to return a considerable portion of the sum. Such 

 transactions are merely regarded as tricks of the trade, as 

 not merely do they gratify the vanity of the buyer and 

 seller, but they serve to keep up the price of the variety 

 the dog disposed of belongs to, as credulous reporters of 

 newspapers contrive to get the sale published in their 

 journals as news. The fancy prices put upon many show- 

 dogs by their owners and published in the catalogues are 

 of course meant to be prohibitive, and are not taken 

 seriously by practical men ; but they, too, are often of use 

 to a breeder in puffing his strain, as they are frequently 

 the cause of a dog's likeness appearing in the illustrated 

 papers, accompanied by the assurance that he is "valued" 

 at a thousand pounds or more, whereas he would probably 

 be dear at twenty. It is therefore necessary for a person 

 with a dog for sale to disabuse his mind of the probability 

 that he will be paid a long price for his animal. If the 

 latter is well-bred, healthy, and good-looking, the best 

 course for any one outside the dog world to take is to 

 advertise it in such papers as T/ie Field or Our Dogs, which 

 enjoy wide circulations, and which occupy such high 

 positions in canine circles that buyers and sellers may 

 be reasonably certain that they will be protected against 

 fraudulent persons. No owner of a good, well-bred dog, 

 unless under very exceptional circumstances, need despair 

 of disposing of his animal through such channels ; and if 



172 



