64 THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG 



is a man of character, and it does not disconcert him in 

 the least that his judicial services are not enlisted again 

 for at least a twelvemonth. 



Such a judge deserves a Kennel Club Victoria Cross 

 for his courage. What he actually gets is generally un- 

 printable ! 



There follows a fierce discussion in the canine press, 

 always amusing, usually abusive, and frequently un- 

 grammatical ; but the good seed is sown, and speedily 

 takes root. Thinking men, when the first storm has 

 blown over, gather up the threads of argument advanced 

 on either side and weigh the net result. Oftentimes the 

 sequel is a revision of the club standard. And within 

 a couple of generations the fashionable exaggerations 

 begin to give place to all-round excellence once more, 

 and the breed is in a fair way to recover its lost ground. 

 Then the courageous judge is asked to officiate again, 

 wisely accepts, proves himself to be impartial and con- 

 sistent, and becomes a power for good in the canine 

 world. 



This is the point at which the cheap sneer of the 

 cynic breaks down in practice. 



It is not the fact of making a breed popular as a 

 show dog that ruins it ; it is the injudicious selection of 

 specialist judges that temporarily sets it back. 



For the specialist judge is frequently selected unwisely, 

 and on totally insufficient grounds. It may be that he 

 is the lucky owner of a champion, which he has bred 



