574 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



is admirable for this purpose, as also is 

 the Maisonette, designed by Mrs. Handley 

 Spjcer. The dog-room should have a tire- 

 place or an anthracite stove, for use in win- 

 ter or during illness, and, of course, it must 

 be well ventilated and be open to the sun- 

 light. A Parish's cooker is a most useful 

 addition to the equipment, especially when 

 a kennel maid is employed. There should 

 be lockers in which to keep medicine, spe- 

 cial foods, toilet requisites, and feeding 

 utensils, a water-tap and sink, and a table 

 for grooming operations. The floor of 

 such a room is best kept clean with Sanitas 

 sawdust. For bedding, Elastene wood- 

 wool is to be recommended. It is ab- 

 sorbent, antiseptic, clean and comfortable. 



Even delicate toy-dogs, however, ought 

 not to be permanently lodged within doors, 

 and the dog-room is only complete when 

 it has as an annexe a grass plot for play- 

 ground and free exercise. Next to whole- 

 some and regular food, fresh air and sun- 

 shine are the prime necessaries of healthy 

 condition. Too much coddling and pam- 

 pering is bad for all breeds. It is to be 

 remembered that the dog is a domesticated 

 wild animal, and that the most suitable 

 treatment is that which nearest approxi- 

 mates to the natural life of his ancestors. 

 Weakness and disease come mpre fre- 

 quently from injudicious feeding and 

 housing than from any other cause. 

 Among the free and ownerless pariah dogs 

 of the East disease is almost unknown. 



It is necessary to insist upon suitable 

 housing, since even the scientific managers 

 of our zoological gardens are not always 

 blameless in this respect, for they have 

 been known to keep Arctic dogs in cages 

 exposed to the mid-day sun of a hot sum- 

 mer, with the inevitable consequence that 

 the animals have rapidly succumbed. All 

 dogs can bear severe cold better than in- 

 tense heat. 



For the kennels of our British-bred dogs, 

 perhaps a southern or a south-western 

 aspect is the best, but wherever it is placed 

 the kennel must be sufficiently sheltered 

 from rain and wind, and it ought to be pro- 

 vided with a covered run in which the 

 inmates may have full liberty. An awning 

 of some kind is necessary. Trees afford 

 good shelter from the sun-rays, but they 



harbour moisture, and damp must be 

 avoided at all costs. 



When only one outdoor dog is kept, a 

 kennel can be improvised out of a packing- 

 case, supported on bricks above the 

 ground, with the entrance properly 

 shielded from the weather. An old square 

 zinc cistern is a good substitute for. the 

 old-fashioned and unsatisfactory barrel- 



SHOW DOG CHAIN WITH SPRING HOOKS 

 AND SWIVELS 



kennel, if it is proportionate to the dog's 

 size. No dog should be allowed to live in 

 a kennel in which he cannot turn round at 

 full length. Properly constructed, port- 

 able, and well-ventilated kennels for single 

 dogs are not expensive, however, and are 

 greatly to be preferred to any amateurish 

 makeshift. A good one for a Terrier need 

 not cost more than a pound. It is usually 

 the single dog that suffers most from im- 

 perfect accommodation. His kennel is 

 generally too small to admit of a good bed 

 of straw, and if there is no railed-in run 

 attached he must needs be chained up. 

 The dog that is kept on the chain becomes 

 dirty in his habits, unhappy, and savage. 

 His chain is often too short and is not 

 provided with swivels to avert kinks. On 

 a sudden alarm, or on the appearance of a 

 trespassing tabby, he will often bound for- 

 ward at the risk of dislocating his neck. 

 The yard-dog's chain ought always to be 

 fitted with a stop link spring to counteract 



SPRATTS' STOP LINK SPRING. 



the effect of the sudden jerk. If it is neces- 

 sary for a dog to be chained at all, and this 

 is doubtful, the most humane method is to 

 bend a wire rope between two opposite 

 walls or betw : een two trees or posts, about 

 seven feet from the ground. On the rope 

 is threaded a metal ring, to which the free 

 end of the dog's chain is attached. This 

 enables him to move about on a path that 

 is only limited by the length of the wire 

 rope, as the sliding ring travels with him. 



