THE DOG, 67 



cast her whelps, but be in danger of losing your bitch 

 also. When she is near pupping, she should have 

 some warm milk or broth given her, in order to assist 

 nature, and on no account be disturbed while pup- 

 ping. The whelps should also be handled as little as 

 possible, as it injures them, and checks their growth. 



The number of whelps is very uncertain, some pro- 

 ducing fiiteen, and others three or four. But should 

 you be inclined to keep all the puppies of a litter, it 

 will be necessary to look out for another bitch that 

 will pap about the same time, in order to put some 

 of your puppies to her : keen sportsmen sometimes 

 keep mongrel bitches for this purpose. Whenever 

 you put your puppies to a strange nurse, it will be 

 necessary to rub them with some of the stranger's 

 milk, immediately before putting them to her, as this 

 is a certain method to make her foster and rear them; 

 five or six at most are enough for any bitch. 



We are told, by some writers, that when we wish 

 to destroy part of the puppies, the following method 

 should be adopted : Take them from their litter to 

 the distance of nine or ten yards, and the mother will 

 immediately come and take them back to her bed, 

 one by one : those she takes first you are to keep, ac- 

 cording to the number you are in want of. For my 

 part, 1 should be disposed to adopt my own judgment 

 in preference to that of the bitch. However, this I 

 have remarked, that bitch whelps generally resemble 

 the sire, while dog whelps are found to approximate 



