42 THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG 



pation, but this is quite unnecessary if she is in normal 

 health, and the less she is interfered with the better. 



It will be well for the beginner, at this time, to 

 make arrangements for the services of a foster-mother 

 in case of necessity. There are many reliable men who 

 make a business of supplying them, and whose advertise- 

 ments are usually to be found in the columns of the 

 dog papers. It is only necessary to write to one of 

 these purveyors, stating the breed of the bitch and the 

 expected date of your requirement. On the receipt of 

 a telegram he will at once despatch a healthy foster. 

 The cost is very small compared with that incurred 

 by the loss of four or five promising, but superfluous, 

 puppies. A healthy bitch is quite capable of dealing 

 with a family of six or seven without inconvenience. 

 If the litter exceed that number it is advisable to call 

 in the services of a wet-nurse. 



If a reliable veterinary surgeon is within hail it is also 

 advisable to arrange for his services, in case things should 

 go badly, which is, fortunately, rare. Under ordinary 

 circumstances the mother is best left to Nature and her 

 own maternal instincts. 



During the ninth week, everything being in readiness, 

 the expectant mother is to be watched, in case of any 

 untoward complication arising, but otherwise interfered 

 with as little as possible. 



When, on one of his periodical visits, her owner finds 

 that the first puppy has made its appearance, he will do 



