338 The Dog Book 



ship known as the Windy Valley Kennels. They started in with the greatest 

 enthusiasm, and getting together as many of the fanciers of Dalmatians as 

 possible, a club was organised to foster the breed. This was followed by 

 application for a good classification at the New York Show, and, Mr. Peters 

 being on the show committee of the Westminster Kennel Club, the response 

 was the opening of five classes, for which a surprisingly good entry resulted : 

 eight in puppies, ten in novice, thirteen in limit, eleven in open dogs and 

 nine in open bitches. The successful dogs were for the most part from 

 England, and were beyond question an improvement on what we had been 

 in the habit of seeing at American shows. 



The American Dalmatian Club is in good hands, and all that is necessary 

 for its continued success is a continuation of the same spirit of enterprise 

 which has characterised its management during its first year. It has not the 

 easy path to success that so many clubs have had, with a membership ready 

 to hand without the asking, for the admirers and supporters of this breed 

 are by no means numerous and will require to be largely recruited before 

 it is likely to be put on a secure footing, for in all clubs there are always 

 some members who are like the seed that fell on stony ground, and they 

 form a percentage that has to be overcome by hard work on the part of 

 those who can get in new additions. The impetus given the breed by the 

 club is an excellent illustration of what can be accomplished by a specialty 

 club, which goes to work in a sportsmanlike manner. 



The standard which we give is that of the English Dalmatian Club, 

 but it is not one to our liking, and not at all suitable for the purpose of letting 

 a novice know what is really wanted. To assist in that piece of education, 

 we will say that in our opinion the Dalmatian thould be built very much 

 upon the lines of a good pointer, but with no more substance than gives 

 the idea that the dog is a strongly built one and capable of travelling easily 

 at a moderately fast pace for a distance. The standard says "heavy in 

 bone," as if one wanted a mastiff. You do not say heavy in bone in regard 

 to a pointer, but good in bone, meaning that the dog must not look light 

 in that respect; and so with this dog. The head is rather difficult to describe, 

 but the idea can be best conveyed by saying that it must not be that of a 

 good pointer, but more akin to what might be called weak in head in a 

 pointer, with a little less squareness and lip. The eye should be smarter 

 and the expression brighter than that of the pointer, with the ears higher 

 on the head. The standard calls for spotted ears, but we think we have 



