326 Modern Dogs. 



than snappish and particularly ill - tempered with 

 children and with strangers. A few years ago there 

 was a mad dog scare in New York, and in some 

 quarters the origin was said to be traced to the 

 Spitz dogs, a great many of which were destroyed 

 without any proof being forthcoming either one way 

 or the other. Still, I do not think it was altogether 

 on account of their ill-temper that they have never 

 popularised themselves in this country, but white 

 specimens of excellence were most difficult to pro- 

 duce, especially when accompanied by dark hazel 

 eyes and a perfectly black nose. Fawn or fallow 

 marks on the ears were continually appearing, and 

 red noses were far more common than black ones. 

 Then there was the difficulty in washing and in 

 getting them up for show, in which latter respect 

 white dogs are always more troublesome than 

 coloured ones. 



R. D. Blackmore in one of his charming stories 

 introduces a pretty character in Bardie with her 

 " Pomyoleanian dog," and the novelist must, in so 

 agreeably alluding thereto, have held a better 

 opinion of the Pomeranian than do the majority of 

 people. 



Classes have been provided for the variety at early 

 shows, but they were, as a rule, badly filled, and 

 continued to be so until recently. Still, in the first 



