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SECTION VII. 

 PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT. 



CHAPTER LXV. 



BUYING AND SELLING, HOUSING, FEEDING, EXERCISE, ETC. 

 " First let the kennel fo the huntsman's care." SOMERVILLE. 



MANY people are deterred from keep- 

 ing dogs by the belief that the hobby 

 is expensive and that it entails a 

 profitless amount of trouble and anxiety; 

 but to the true dog-lover the anxiety and 

 trouble are far outbalanced by the plea- 

 sures of possession, and as to the expense, 

 that is a matter which can be regulated at 

 will. A luxuriously appointed kennel of 

 valuable dogs, who are pampered into sick- 

 ness, may, indeed, become a serious drain 

 upon the owner's banking account, but if 

 managed on business principles the occu- 

 pation is capable of yielding a very respect- 

 able income ; while those who do not make 

 an actual business of it may still, with 

 economy and foresight, cover their ex- 

 penses by the possible profits. One does 

 not wish to see dog-keeping turned into a 

 profession, and there seems to be some- 

 thing mean in making money by our pets ; 

 but the process of drafting is necessary 

 when the kennel is overstocked, and buying 

 and selling are among the interesting ac- 

 cessories of the game, second only to the 

 pleasurable excitement of submitting one's 

 favourites to the judgment of the show- 

 ring. The delights of breeding and rear- 

 ing should be their own reward, as they 

 usually are, yet something more than mere 

 pin-money can be made by the alert ama- 

 teur who possesses a kennel of acknow- 

 ledged merit, and who knows how to turn 

 it to account ; for, in addition to the selling 

 of dogs whose value has been enhanced by 

 success in the ring, there may be a large 

 increment from the marketing of puppies; 

 there are stud fees to be counted, and there 

 is the money-value of prizes gained at a 

 succession of shows. A champion ought 



easily to earn his own living : some are a 

 source of handsome revenue. 



Occasionally one hears of very high 

 prices being paid for dogs acknowledged 

 to be perfect specimens of their breed. For 

 the St. Bernard Sir Belvidere sixteen hun- 

 dred pounds were offered. Plinlimmon 

 was sold for a thousand, the same sum that 

 was paid for the Bulldog Rodney Stone. 

 For the Collies Southport Perfection and 

 Ormskirk Emerald Mr. Megson paid a 

 thousand sovereigns each. Size is no cri- 

 terion of a dog's market value; the Hon. 

 Mrs. Lytton refused a thousand pounds 

 for her Toy Spaniel Windfall, and there 

 are many lap dogs now living that could 

 not be purchased for that high price. These 

 are sums which only a competent judge 

 with a long purse would dream of paying 

 for an animal whose tenure of active life 

 can hardly be more than eight or ten years, 

 and already the dog's value must have been 

 attested by his success in competition. It 

 requires an expert eye to perceive the poten- 

 tialities of a puppy, and there is always an 

 element of speculative risk for both buyer 

 and seller. Many a dog that has been sold 

 for a song has grown to be a famous cham- 

 pion. At Cruft's show in 1905 the Bulldog 

 Mahomet was offered for ten pounds. No 

 one was bold enough to buy him, yet eigh- 

 teen months afterwards he was sold and 

 considered cheap at a thousand. Uncer- 

 tainty adds zest to a hobby that is in itself 

 engaging. 



Thanks to the influence of the Kennel 

 Club and the institution of dog shows, 

 which have encouraged the improvement of 

 distinct breeds, there are fewer nondescript 

 mongrels in our midst than there were a 



