A TRUE FOX-TERRIER 229 



as a puppy to Noah Hook, one of Sir George Wombwell's 

 keepers, and I bought the young dog from him at a 

 little over six months old, still undocked, and the docking 

 of him at that age was no easy job. Here let me advise 

 all whom it may concern that it is of the essence of correct 

 dealing with a fox-terrier pup to always leave him an 

 amply sufficient length of stern, so that there may be no 

 lack of something to lay hold of in tailing him out of a 

 fox-earth. There has been a dreadful tendency, among 

 the modern generation of breeders and judges, to forget 

 this very important point. 



Jester II. was a good long time before his docking in 

 " riper years " proved as satisfactory as if it had been 

 done when he was a nine or ten days' old puppy, for at 

 that age it is very easy to take off sufficient of the tail 

 between the fore-fingers and thumbs, and the operation is 

 almost painless ; but he grew out into a real champion, 

 and was as game a dog as ever lived. He had a coat on 

 him of the texture of pig's bristles, long and lying flat 

 like the hackles on a duck's back, and quite as difficult to 

 turn up the wrong way. It was a coat that was almost 

 impervious to cold, and he would swim about, hunting 

 rats in the Codbeck, when there was a " fresh " on, in the 

 depth of winter, as long as you would allow him, without 

 ever a shiver when he came out on the bank. That was 

 a terrier indeed, and when he won at the Alexandra Palace 

 the 10 first prize a big prize for a dog show The Field, 

 of 25th December 1875, said : " Thirty- three competed 

 and formed one of the best dog classes in the show. 

 Mr Allison's Jester II. here had his merits recognised, 

 being placed first, though unnoticed at Birmingham." 



The point of this story is, however, that as Jester II. 

 was a thoroughly nice, companionable dog, I took him 

 home from the show to 24 St James's Place for the night, 

 having deposited a sovereign at the show, according to 

 rule, as bail for his return in the morning. That night I 

 was engaged to dine with the late David Hope Johnstone 

 at Limmers', and I took the dog with me for I knew that 



