IN SEASON. 225 



Should bitches be bred at every season? Upon this 

 question, also, breeders are at variance, and v^hile some 

 contend that it is an injurious practice and one which must 

 inevitably undermine the strongest constitution, others as 

 stoutly maintain that they have never detected evidences 

 of ill effects from it. 



To sustain them in their position the first class rely 

 mainly on the fact that bitches of sporting varieties lose 

 speed after being bred often, and they claim that there is 

 also a loss of vigor. The other class acknowledge that 

 speed is lessened in breeding, but they point to the fact 

 that great speed, in the greyhound for instance, is out of 

 the question after breeding once only, and they are not 

 ready to accept that this loss is any evidence of impair- 

 ment of vigor. 



In cases in which abnormalities exist, beyond doubt 

 animals are sometimes improved in health by carrying 

 young, but as a rule gestation and nursing must tax the 

 energies of the system. And while the lost vigor is 

 doubtless very often restored, it is certainly not restored 

 in all cases. And whether or not the loss is permanent 

 depends much upon the existing conditions. For instance, 

 a bitch allowed entire liberty, fed rightly and kept under 

 good hygienic influences, might be bred at every season 

 without loss of constitutional vigor, whereas another con- 

 fined much to kennels and fed as dogs so placed are gen- 

 erally fed would scarcely be so fortunate. In truth, many 

 bitches living under such poor conditions and bred at 

 every season present symptoms that can only be inter- 

 preted as evidences of decline. And in the most pro- 

 nounced cases these are a lack of natural excitability and 

 buoyancy of spirit, tendency to sluggishness rather than 

 activity; and of those that have borne several large litters 

 not a few are weak in loins and settled in the back. 



