USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING DOGS 



BUYING DOGS. In buying a dog, first be sure that you are dealing with some 

 recognized breeder who will not se>nd a dog C. O. D., and you will always get a 

 dog just as represented. No legitimate breeder or dealer can afford to act any 

 way but fair and square with you, as it would get him into serious trouble with 

 the American Kennel Club, and for wrong doing he would be punished and dis- 

 qualified, which means that he could not exhibit any of his dogs at any Bench 

 Show held under their rules, nor could he register any of his dogs in their stud 

 book while disqualified. So you can see how safe won are in buying a dog and 

 sending your money on in advance, if you are sure first that you are dealing with 

 a breeder of 'note and reputation, as you are protected by the American Kennel 

 Club, of New York. 



Very few legitimate breeders will ship a dog C. O. D. for many good and suffi- 

 cient reasons. It is harder on the dog, as coming collect, he necessarily has to go 

 through a lot of red tape business, and this delays his delivery in most every 

 instance, going from train to uptown city office, a delay here of course to check up 

 and fix way bills, books, etc., and generally then delivered after all this delay by 

 another wagon. 



Select a good breeder to buy from and write him for a full description in detail 

 as to all points of the dog and its price, then send him a money order or draft for 

 the dog with orders to ship on the guarantee that the dog is to be exactly as 

 described and represented. Now, when you get him after he feels at home, 

 recovered from his trip', and acts and looks himself then compare dog with 

 description you have had, and my word for it your dog will fill the bill. 



If dissatisfied for any cause don't be hasty about returning him, but wait a 

 day or two, give the dog a chance to rest up, taking good care of him meanwhile, 

 and 'then write to the dealer, and he can, and will, no doubt, straighten the matter 

 up so that you are satisfied. Unless the buyer is a judge of the breed ordered 

 (which the seller is), it irtfght happen that as good or even a better specimen had 

 been sent than was promised, and yet not come up 'to the expectations of the buyer 

 according to his erroneous ideas, or., it didn't "look like Mr. So-and-So's dog," etc., 

 and here is the chance for the seller to explain and put you right, as to what con- 

 stitutes a good and correct specimen, which is really what you want, only you don't 

 know it. These are rare cases, of course, the exception and not the rule. Bench 

 shows are educating people on dogs, and a good many could now fairly judge the 

 dog they had ordered. 



Always go to headquarters to buy anything, and here I want to say a few 

 words as to buying a dog from bird stores. They are, as a rule, a poor place to 

 buy a dog a much better place to buy a bird or bird seed. 



Being only dealers and only having a scant general idea of dogs, the dealer 

 may be honest enough, yet deceive his customer as to a dog, simply because the 

 seller fooled him when he bought the dog to sell again. This is often the case in 

 a bird store buying a litter of puppies. They look cute as puppies, but often turn 

 out to be curs when grown up, because the mother of them had a mishap, got out, 

 and was bred to some outside dog of another breed, so the owner packs them up 

 in a basket and sells them for almost any price to 'the bird store. He puts them 



