256 THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



ten to twenty years ago it was all the rage amongst that class with which the Whippet dog 

 is so closely associated. The dogs then used were of an entirely different stamp to the dogs 

 of the present day in fact, they were Terriers proper. The predominating colours were red 

 and wheaten ; many, too, were blue, with tan marking. These Terriers were very hard and 

 game, and the best of dogs for cover work. They were, with very few exceptions, rough, having 

 a hard and strong coat. They were of a medium length of leg decidedly not leggy. 



" With the gradual decay of rabbit-coursing, and the introduction of straight-out running 

 (now the popular amusement), has disappeared the type of Terrier formerly used for the former 

 sport. Now speed is the main object sought for ; the main consideration is to get the greatest 

 amount of speed in the least possible size ; hence, to obtain speed, those interested in the breed 

 have resorted to Italian and English Greyhound crosses. You know these dogs are now judged 

 on the same scale as Greyhounds in fact, many of them are so finely bred that they must 

 strike the observant eye as being little else than a diminutive Greyhound ; and not only in 

 outline are they alike, but most of the smooth specimens are of the same colour as the Grey- 

 hound we have whites, blacks, reds, fawns, brindles, and compounds from each. 



"These dogs are very swift, and are entirely trained for speed, and to run straight. Many 

 will stand on a mark until told to go, when they will make the best of their way to their owner, 

 generally placed within a few yards of the winning post. 



" No class of dog receives more care or attention ; they are very carefully fed and attended 

 to, and in many cases receive better food than their master or family. I knew an iron- 

 worker, who only worked a day or two a week ; he himself lived entirely on bread, but his 

 dog, who was undergoing a preparation for a race, was fed upon mutton. Nearly every 

 ironworker has his Whippet, and, if he hardly has a coat to his back, his dog must have 

 a good sheet, and, moreover, be muzzled. You can fell Geordie if you like, but don't touch 

 his dog. 



" From the above notes you will observe that the dogs formerly used for rabbit-coursing 

 were an entirely different stamp to the dog now used. 



" I must not forget to mention that there are now many rough-haired Whippets, but they 

 are built entirely upon the same lines as the smooth ones. 



" The rules of rabbit-coursing differ very materially from Greyhound coursing ; in the latter 

 every wrench, turn, &c., counts so many points, whereas in rabbit-coursing these are reckoned 

 of no account ; the dog that kills the rabbit is declared the winner. 



"Each dog runs on merit, but size is always taken into account. In Newcastle, Durham, 

 and district, the general rule is to allow four yards per inch, according to the height of the 

 dogs competing. 



" Until lately the dogs had to pass under a standard, but it was found to be an unsatis- 

 factory way of getting the correct height of a dog. Many a dog in reality 20 inches high 

 would easily pass the standard at i8i inches. This he was trained to do, the usual plan 

 being to place a needle in the top of the standard ; when the dog passed under he pricked 

 himself, this in time he learns to avoid by lowering himself. Now, the general rule is to 

 have the dogs laid upon their sides, and measured from the shoulder-blade to the end of 

 the foot 



" By far the most popular sport at the present day is dog-racing, or as it is termed, 

 straight-out running. 



"The usual distance of the race is 200 yards, the rule being to allow eight yards per 

 inch, according to the size of the dogs. 



