THE DOG 



69 



Besides the prizes in medals, 

 money, or works of art, the title 

 of "champion" can beobtained, 

 though of course such distinc- 

 tion is awarded only to stars of 

 the first magnitude. The late 

 Queen Victoria gave a cross to 

 a dog (not exhibited), and that 

 decoration was no other than 

 the famous Victoria Cross. It 

 was given in 1879, after the war 

 in Afghanistan. The dog (his 

 name was Bob) made the cam- 

 paign with the second regi- 

 ment, the Royal Berkshire, and was wounded. 

 His portrait appears in the celebrated picture of 

 "The Fight of the Last Eleven at Maiwand." 

 A dog named Jack also received the Victoria 

 Cross for saving several lives at the 

 battle of the Alma. Jerry, another 

 dog of the Crimean War, received a 

 medal and a dinner from the city of 

 Dublin. 



The transportation of dogs to all 

 bench shows should be made in 

 baskets, securely fastened, or, better 

 still, in light, well-ventilated cases, in 

 which water can be supplied to the 

 animal without the necessity of open- 

 ing the case or basket. A dog can 

 travel two or three days without e.xtra 

 food, but he must have fresh water supplied 

 to him at various stations. Though a dog should 

 never be fastened in his traveling case or bas- 



Decor.ated with Ch.ampiox's 

 Cross 



followed, especially in southern 

 Germany, correspond some- 

 what to the runs of fox terriers 

 organized in France, — in the 

 Bois de Boulogne, for instance, 

 — which always excite great 

 interest. In Belgium some peo- 

 ple amuse themselves, though 

 more or less in secret, by send- 

 ing fox terriers against rats 

 which are shut up in cages and 

 are killed in a moment by one 

 bite of the dog. The trial of 

 shepherd dogs, who are made 

 to chase before them a given number of sheep 

 on a given space or road, is of a more peace- 

 ful character, but not less interesting and amus- 

 ing. Now and then in connection with shows 



Tr.^vi:ling Cage 



there are races of harnessed dogs, sometimes 

 a procession of the prize winners, and at still 

 other times a parade of packs of hounds, with 

 ket, lest he should strangle himself with rope their huntsmen in scarlet coats making a noisy 



or strap, it is best to put on a collar 

 and chain when he reaches his des 

 tination among strangers. In 

 general, railway rules and regu- 

 lations for the transportation of 

 dogs leave much to be desired ; 

 the charges are very high, and are 

 often based on ridiculous reasons. 

 In Germany a particular sort of 

 competition has been established, 

 in which bassets hunt foxes and 

 badgers along subterranean pas- - 

 sages. These competitions, much 



Traveling Basket 



hullabaloo with their horns ; occasion- 

 ally there are dog races conducted 

 by children ; all of which is amusing 

 for the exhibitors and for the 

 public. Of late the continent of 

 Europe no longer takes part in 

 the English bench shows, and vice 

 versa, owing to the rigorous quaran- 

 tine enforced against foreign dogs 

 at English ports, which renders 

 importation impossible for sports- 

 men who desire merely to exhibit 

 their animals. 



