PREFACE 



THE popularity of the dog as a companion, as a 

 guardian of property, as an assistant in the pursuit of 

 game, and as the object of a pleasurable hobby, has 

 never been so great as it is at the present time. More 

 dogs are kept in this country than ever there formerly 

 were, and they are more skilfully bred, more tenderly 

 treated, and cared for with a more solicitous pride than 

 was the case a generation ago. There are fewer mongrels 

 in our midst, and the family dog has become a respect- 

 able member of society. Two million dog licences were 

 taken out in the British Isles in the course of 1909. In 

 that year, too, as many as 906 separate dog shows were 

 sanctioned by the Kennel Club and held in various parts 

 of the United Kingdom. At the present time there exist 

 no fewer than 156 specialist clubs established for the 

 purpose of watching over the interests of the different 

 breeds. 



Recognising this advance in our national love of dogs 

 and the growing demand for information on their distin- 

 guishing characteristics, I am persuaded that there is 

 ample room for a concise and practical handbook on 

 matters canine. In preparing the present volume, I have 

 drawn abundantly upon the contents of my larger and 

 more expensive New Book of The Dog, and I desire to 

 acknowledge my obligations to the eminent experts who 

 assisted me in the production of the earlier work and 

 whose contributions I have further utilised in these pages. 

 I am indebted to Mr. W. J. Stubbs for his clear exposition 

 of the points of the Bulldog, to Colonel Claude Cane for 



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