68 The Fox Terrier. 



its highest, sharp practices to gain that distinction came 

 into vogue. Some exhibitors, not content with merely 

 docking the tails of their dogs, were clever enough to 

 reduce the size of the ears by paring them down with 

 either knife or scissors. I remember being shown the 

 scissors with which this operation had been successfully 

 performed on a dog that won a number of prizes. One 

 of the first duties of a judge in the ring then was, and 

 for years later continued to be, to examine the ears to see 

 whether they had been what was slangily called " faked." 

 This usually meant cutting or breaking the tendons of the 

 aural appendages to make them drop properly, for many 

 terriers had naturally prick or erect ears, and with them so- 

 carried there was no chance of winning a prize. The teeth, 

 too, could be filed to a level where those on the lower jaw 

 projected in front of the upper ones. When they did so- 

 project, the dog was said to be undershot, a fault which 

 was then absolute disqualification. Curling sterns, over- 

 gaily carried, could be straightened, so the clever artist in 

 the matter of dog showing had, even with these almost 

 white terriers, ample opportunity for a display of his skill 

 and ingenuity in dishonest practices. So he has now, and 

 takes advantage thereof, for u faking," to my mind, quite 

 as bad as such cases as I have alluded to is permitted. 

 The sin, however, of this modern "faking" does not appear 

 to be so much in its commission as in its discovery, and 

 means are now adopted by which a terrier's ears may be 

 made to drop artificially and no tell-tale marks remain. 

 This is done in many instances by weights plastered on to 

 the inside of the ears and sometimes on the outside. Again, 

 one sees advertisements from " up-to-date " dealers who 

 manufacture and sell appliances which are said to answer 



