SOUNDNESS 



of identically the same type and appearance, in fact, well 

 matched. 



Soundness. — The question of a dog's soundness must 

 depend in a measure upon the purposes to which he 

 will be put ; but of course this statement must not be 

 taken as implying that an animal is absolutely sound if 

 he happens to be suffering from some minor or obscure 

 infirmity, which though it might be serious in the case 

 of a field-dog, would be a matter of no importance in a 

 domestic pet. Possibly, therefore, it would have been 

 better to have adopted the expression ''practically sound," 

 for, as in the case of human beings, there must be very 

 few dogs which would pass the scrutiny of a keen examina- 

 tion by a professional man without a slight weakness being 

 detected somewhere. It may however be suggested that 

 impaired vision or hearing, decayed teeth, chronic lame- 

 ness or rheumatism, chorea, indigestion, a weak heart, 

 phthisis, diseased bones, contorted limbs, a tendency to 

 epilepsy, chronic skin disease, sterility, *and imperfect 

 formation of the generative organs, all constitute un- 

 soundness, and should deter any one from knowingly 

 purchasing an animal afflicted by any of them. Of course 

 a weak heart, a crooked limb, chorea, or sterility, might 

 not be a serious objection against a dog which has only 

 to be kept as a pet about the house, but it is always wiser 

 to avoid an animal with an '' if " about it when possible ; 

 but naturally in the case of an old favourite which is 

 attacked by disease or misfortune the case is different. 

 On the other hand, there are hundreds of sound, or prac- 

 tically sound, healthy dogs which labour under a dis- 

 ability to do the work which some owners require of 

 them, and yet be quite well adapted for the purposes of 

 others. Thus a gun-dog which is deficient in scenting 

 powers or gun shy, a greyhound or whippet which is 

 troubled with the slows, a terrier which is deficient in 

 courage, or an animal with a slight deformity, might be 



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