50 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



a few years afterwards won prizes. At the first they were 

 more popular in the North of England than in any other part 

 of Great Britain. It was at Kirkby Lonsdale that Dr. James's 

 Spotted Dick was bred, and an early exploiter of the breed who 

 made his dogs famous was Mr. Newby Wilson, of Lakeside, 

 Windermere. He was indebted to Mr. Hugo Droesse, of 

 London, for the foundation of his stud, inasmuch as it was 

 from Mr. Droesse that he purchased Ch. Acrobat and Ch. 

 Berolina. At a later date the famed Coming Still and Prince 

 IV. were secured from the same kennel, the latter dog being 

 the progenitor of most of the best liver-spotted specimens that 

 have attained notoriety as prize-winners down to the present 

 day. 



In appearance the Dalmatian should be very similar to a 

 Pointer except in head and marking. Still, though not so 

 long in muzzle nor so pendulous in lip as a Pointer, there 

 should be no coarseness or common look about the skull, a 

 fault which is much too prevalent. Then, again, some judges 

 do not attach sufficient importance to the eyelids, or rather 

 sears, which should invariably be edged round with black 

 or brown. Those which are flesh-coloured in this particular 

 should be discarded, however good they may be in other re- 

 spects. The density and pureness of colour, in both blacks 

 and browns, is of great importance, but should not be per- 

 mitted to outweigh the evenness of the distribution of spots 

 on the body ; no black patches, or even mingling of the spots, 

 should meet with favour, any more than a ring-tail or a clumsy- 

 looking, heavy-shouldered dog should command attention. 



The darker-spotted variety usually prevails in a cross 

 between the two colours, the offspring very seldom having the 

 liver-coloured markings. The uninitiated may be informed 

 that Dalmatian puppies are always born pure white. The 

 clearer and whiter they are the better they are likely to be. 

 There should not be the shadow of a mark or spot on them. 

 When about a fortnight old, however, they generally develop 

 a dark ridge on the belly, and the spots will then begin to 



