THE WELSH TERRIER. 



377 



the type required, they often occupied 

 prominent positions in the prize lists, to the 

 detriment of the pure bred article. The 

 great danger was in their being used to 

 any large extent at the stud, and of the 

 breed being thereby contaminated. 



The steps, therefore, of the well-wisher 

 of the pure article seemed always to be 

 dogged by the mongrel, so-called, Old 

 English Terrier ; wherever he went he could 

 not get away from him. If he exhibited 

 at a show where the classes were given for 

 the two breeds jointly, his enemy being, in 

 most cases as aforesaid, the better-looking 

 terrier, beat his head off ; if he showed in 

 classes given only for his own breed, there 

 again did he find the spurious article, coolly 

 calling itself by the name of his own breed, 

 again getting the best of him ; if he did not 

 show at all well, it meant a bloodless 

 victory for his rival, and that his breed 

 as a show animal would assuredly die out 

 altogether. 



The Press, the judge, the dog world 

 generally, "went for " the Welsh Terrier ex- 

 hibitor hot and strong ; they ridiculed his 

 dog, laughed at him, gave him all sorts of 

 gratuitous advice. A dog with a head like 

 that would never do any good. Why not 

 introduce foreign blood to improve his 

 points ? All other breeds had been bene- 

 fited in like manner why not him ? 



Looking back on these years, one can 

 readily recognise what a crisis the breed 

 was, at that time, passing through a crisis, 

 indeed, rendered none the less serious from 

 the fact that some of the old owners were 

 inclined to and did, in fact desert the 

 colours and become proselytes of the mon- 

 grel. It was just at this time that the 

 Welsh Terrier Club rose to the occasion, 

 and in doing so unquestionably saved the 

 breed from utter annihilation. A rule was 

 passed that in future no dog which could 

 not be proved to be a pure Welsh Terrier 

 should be eligible to compete for any of 

 the club's prizes. This rule was the sub- 

 ject of much adverse comment from the 

 self-believed wiseacres of the day, but it 

 had a most salutary effect, and after events 

 proved its existence to be fully justified. 



+8 



The Old English Terrier prospered for a 

 while longer, but gradually died out, and 

 has been heard of no more. The extra- 

 ordinaryjthing about him was that, although 

 several beautiful specimens were shown at 

 different times, one never saw on the bench 

 an Old English Terrier which was by one 

 of his own breed out of one of his own 

 breed ; they could not, in fact, be begotten 



MR. WALTER S. GLYNNS CH. BRYNHIR BURGLAR 



BY BRYNHIR BOXER BRYNHIR BAGGAGE. 



Photograph by Pictorial Agency. 



in any way but by a fluke, and so they died 

 a natural death. 



It must ever be to the credit of the Welsh 

 Terrier that he refused to be drawn into 

 any alliance with such an unwholesome 

 specimen. Had he allowed himself to be 

 cajoled into any such thing, it is clear 

 that death must have awaited him, and 

 as a show dog he would long ago have 

 met his fate. 



The Welsh Terrier to-day is very much 

 improved beyond what he was when first 

 put on the bench. This improvement has 

 been brought about by careful and judicious 

 breeding from nothing but pure bred speci- 

 mens. No outside aid has been invoked 

 at any rate in the production of any of the 

 best terriers and none has been required. 

 It is a matter for great congratulation that 

 the breed has been kept pure despite all 

 temptation and exhortation. 



The Welsh Terrier breeds as true as steel ; 

 you know what you are going to get. Had 



