CHAPTER I 



THE BIGGEST AND BEST TEEEIEE 



IT was in the Merchants' Hotel, Manchester 

 a famous gathering place for the dog 

 fanciers of the English Midlands, the most 

 thickly dog populated district in the whole world 

 that one autumn evening I heard the best defi- 

 nition of an Airedale that I ever knew. A party 

 of us, fresh from some bench show, were seated' 

 round a table waiting for dinner, and naturally 

 we were talking dog, telling dog stories, anec- 

 dotes, and jokes. I gave the American definition 

 of a dachshund ; " half a dog high and a dog and 

 a half long," and Theodore Marples, editor of 

 Our Dogs, turning to a quiet little man, noted 

 as a wild fanatic on the subject of Airedales, 

 asked him his definition of his favorite breed. 

 Quick as a spark he answered, " The biggest and 

 best terrier ! " 



There are thousands of people, all sorts of 

 people from bankers to beggars, scattered all 

 over this earth from Dawson City to Capetown, 

 from Moscow to Manila, who will echo the state- 



9 



