The Mastiff 569 



the Lougest kennels. The dog with which Dr. Lougest had expected to 

 sweep the decks at this show was Black Peter, but unfortunately he did not 

 reach New York in time to compete, being only benched on the last day. 

 The proverbial Irishman might have said that if he had come any sooner he 

 would not have come at all, for the dog was booked to leave on the steamer 

 which sank in the English Channel after a collision; but Peter's departure 

 was delayed, from some cause, for a later boat. This was a truly grand 

 dog, a black brindle, with a great deal of wrinkle and a well-shaped head. 

 He also possessed size and substance, and must be placed on record as one 

 of the very best, if not actually the best, mastiff we have had here. He 

 possessed every property of the mastiff developed to a notable degree, and 

 stopped short in every way of any objectionable exaggeration. 



In 1898 Mr. F. J. Skinner, then of Baltimore, entered a very strong 

 four in Champion Prince Cola, Rossington, Victoria III., and Thistle, but 

 not quite good enough to beat the Lougest combination. Mr. Skinner had 

 been a consistent supporter of the mastiff for some years, and may be said 

 to have been the last of the old brigade to leave the field for Dr. Lougest to 

 fill. From Black Peter came some excellent brindles, the black Holland's 

 Queen being a very symmetrical bitch, possibly the best American-bred 

 bitch we have had. The best dog that Black Peter got was The Emperor, 

 but he was not the equal of the last dog Dr. Lougest imported. Prince of 

 Wales, which took the Dutch dog's place when he was retired. 



When things get so bad that they cannot be worse the only movement is 

 in the line of improvement, and there are signs of a revival of interest in the 

 mastiff in England as well as America. Mr. Cooke, of Bangor, Me., has 

 lately become interested in the mastiff and tells us that he has had quite a 

 large correspondence forced upon him by persons who have learned of his 

 importations. What these gentlemen should do is to join the Mastiff Club, 

 if there is anything left to join, get hold of the challenge cups and what is 

 still left of the moribund organization and put money and vim into the 

 resuscitation of the breed. 



Although the mastiff has become one of the large dogs in the way of 

 height, this property is not the feature that we find in the Dane. In this 

 dog substance and massiveness take precedence. Very naturally in a thick- 

 set, massive dog we are more likely to get the head to correspond, while in 

 the more racing-built Dane we have the narrower and longer head which 

 corresponds therewith. Hence height, unless accompanied by bulk sufficient 



