The Russian Wolfhound 631 



were, pending some settlement. The name was made use of in that way and 

 has never been changed. 



Being a dog of striking character and typical of high breeding it is sur- 

 prising that it has not been followed up more systematically since its intro- 

 duction, but the records show that its support has been very spasmodic. Mr. 

 Huntington was very enthusiastic for a year or two and then took more to 

 greyhounds. Mr. Stedman Hanks, of Boston, was the next prominent 

 supporter and he secured some good hounds when on one occasion he visited 

 Russia. He kept them for a few years and then stopped exhibiting, his dogs 

 being taken over by his kennel manager, Tom Turner, who was about the 

 only exhibitor for several years, his kennel being at the last made up of dogs 

 bred from Mr. Hanks's dogs. Mr. Turner was still an occasional exhibitor 

 when Mr. J. B. Thomas, Jr., took hold in a very stirring manner. He first 

 bought all the good dogs he could get here, those of the Turner kennel and 

 some from Mr. J. G. Kent, of Toronto, who had the only collection of the 

 breed in the Dominion. Not content with these dogs, Mr. Thomas con- 

 cluded to visit Europe for something better and after inspecting the English 

 kennels went on to Russia, where he purchased some very good ones, in- 

 cluding Bistri and Sorva. His strongest competitor was Mr. E. L. Kraus 

 of Slatington, Pa., who was his predecessor as an exhibitor and had a very 

 good kennel at that time, but with the advent of Mr. Thomas his increasing 

 business demands made it impossible for Mr. Kraus to devote the atten- 

 tion to exhibiting dogs which he had done and he retired. 



With the view of putting the breed on a substantial footing Mr. Thomas, 

 with the co-operation of Dr. De Mund, Mr. Kent and others who took more 

 or less interest in the breed, organised the Russian Wolfhound Club and 

 marked improvement was at once apparent in the support given the 

 principal shows. Two years ago at New York the entry was an excellent 

 one and the quality very good throughout. Mr. Thomas's Valley Farm 

 entry won the lion's share of the prizes as it had done the previous year and 

 has done at all shows where he has been a competitor, and we rather fear 

 that there is a likelihood of the breed falling back, as is almost invariably 

 the case where there is one dominating kennel taking the bulk of the prize 

 money. We seem, however, to have got to an end of importations and if 

 exhibitors confine themselves to home or American bred dogs and so put all 

 on a more equitable footing there is no reason to look for decline in the 

 breed, now that we have so much breeding material in the country. 



