CHAPTER XLII 



GREAT D/&NES 



OF majestic proportions, cleanly knit, arid with a 

 serenity born of high breeding and a consciousness 

 of power, the Great Dane is in a class by himself, 

 a king among dogs. Can any example of dog flesh 

 be more satisfying to the eye? Every lover of 

 animals must admire him, whether he understands his 

 points or not. Class in a Dane should be perceptible 

 at a glance, even if one is unfamiliar with the breed. 

 It is not size alone that gives it, but the unity of 

 various properties which makes up a harmonious 

 whole. A huge brute, slackly put together, with 1 

 loose b'ack, bad loins, and indifferent hindquarters 

 can never command respect, nor will he look his 

 height. We have had many bigger Danes than Mrs. 

 Horsfall's champion, ' Hannibal,' of Redgrave, but 

 how conspicuously he stood out among his compeers 

 at any show ! The outline of a Dane needs to be 

 graceful, so too his movement. In Germany there is 

 a heavier, more massive, kind known as the " Ulmer. 

 Dogge," of which Bismarck was so fond. The picture 

 of the great Chancellor with a couple of these dogs 

 will be familiar to most people. 



The Great Dane has been known to this country 



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