548 



SPORTING CHAMPIONS IN COMPETITION. 



THE WINNER ON THE BOARD IS CH. HIGH LEGH BLARNEY. 



CHAPTER LXIII. 



THE LADIES' KENNEL ASSOCIATION (Incorpor.\ted). 



BY MRS. H. AYLMER. 



"/ see yon are fond of dogs, sir. So am I." — Mr. Jingle. 



yfVTRES toups, iiiitrcs niiciirs. — 

 /■^-Z WTicn, in 1.S62, tlirrc xcars after 

 tile fir.st di:£j .show (in rfcord took 

 place, the names of two ladies, the Hon. 

 Mrs. Colville and Mrs. Burke, appeared 

 amon^ the prize winners at Birmingham, 

 there was probablv the usual (HitcTv heard 

 whenever women .strike out a fresh line. 

 .\s time went on, however, a few other 

 ladies had the courage f>f their convictions, 

 and joined in placing^ their doi^s in public 

 competition; but it was not till 186:) that 

 the custom met with much approval. That 

 year wa.s a memorable one in the annals of 

 women exhibitors, as Her Majesty Queen 

 Alexandra, then Princess of Wales, set the 

 seal to fashion when, at a show held in 

 Laycock's Cattle Sheds, Islington, her 

 -Mastiff, Duchess, was second in its class, 

 and was officially described as "the best 

 e\-er exhibited," and when her two Borzois 

 took first and second prizes in the class for 

 foreign dogs. 



In [870, at the second sliow held under 

 the auspices of what, three years later, 

 became the Kennel Club, a special prize 

 was offered for the best dog owned bv a 



lady, and was won b\- .Miss Hales with a 

 Mastiff named Lion. 



Prejudice is difficult to overcome, and, 

 in spite of the Royal example, it was not 

 until i8()5 that the dog world awoke to the 

 fact that women, who had so long been 

 interested spectators, meant to take a more 

 active part in the plav. 



The first Ladies' Kennel Asst^ciation was 

 formed with a long list of vice-presidents, 

 reading almost like an extract from Burke, 

 and her ^Majesty graciously ccinsented to 

 become patron. L'nder the as.sociation's 

 fostering wing shows were held from time 

 to time at Ranelagh, Holland House, 

 Earl's Court, and the IJotanical Gardens. 



After many ups and downs the associa- 

 tion was voluntarily dissolved in order 

 to make place for a new incorporated 

 association, the members of which run no 

 risks beyond their subscription and los. 6d. 

 \ATien, in 100,^, the financial aft'airs of the 

 old association could no longer be ignored, 

 till- committee was reorganised, and con- 

 sisted of the Countess of Aberdeen (chair- 

 man), the Lady Evelyn Ewart, Lady 

 Cordon Cathcart, Ladv Reid, Mrs. Preston 



