PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT. 



577 



tripes and paunches, and a little liver given 

 occasionally is an aperient food which most 

 dogs enjoy. But when it can be afforded, 

 wholesome butcher meat is without ques- 

 tion the proper food. Oatmeal porridge, 

 rice, barley, linseed meal, and bone meal 

 ought only to be regarded as occasional 

 additions to the usual meat diet, and are 

 not necessary when dog cakes are regularly 

 supplied. Well-boiled green vegetables, 

 such as cabbage, turnip-tops, and nettle- 

 tops, are good mixed with the meat; pota- 

 toes are questionable. Of the various 

 advertised dog foods, many of which are 

 excellent, the choice may be left to those 

 who are fond of experiment, or who seek 

 for convenient substitutes for the old- 

 fashioned and wholesome diet of the house- 

 hold. Sickly dogs require invalid's treat- 

 ment ; but the best course is usually the 

 simplest, and, given a sound constitution 

 to begin with, any dog ought to thrive if 

 he is only properly housed, carefully fed, 

 and gets abundant exercise. 



This last necessity comes as a natural 

 attendant on life in the country. It is the 

 town dog who is most often neglected. A 

 sober walk at the end of a lead in crowded 

 streets is not enough. The dog should be 

 at liberty, and taught when young to keep 

 to the pavement, and not endanger his life 

 and limb by approaching the track of on- 

 rushing motor-cars and other vehicles. If 

 he is not led he will, by his naturally rest- 

 less habit, do considerably more walking 

 than his master. But it is due to him to 

 give him, as often as possible, a run in 

 some park or field, where he can fetch and 

 carry and thoroughly enjoy himself. If 

 such a morning run is not possible, his 

 owner can still give him exercise in the 

 back yard, or even within doors, using a 

 ball, an old slipper, or a cat-skin tied at the 

 end of a length of string and dangled 

 before him, or hung against a wall just 

 above his reach, to induce him to jump up 

 at it. Half an hour of such exciting exer- 



cise once a day will keep him in good 

 health. No dog can possibly be in proper 

 condition if he is allowed to spend an in- 

 dolent life on hearthrug or sofa, and if he is 

 not mentally happy as well as physically 

 comfortable. 



In the well-organised kennel the dogs' 

 accessories, such as feeding utensils, col- 

 lars, chains, leads, and travelling coats, 

 are kept perfectly clean, and the toilet 

 requisites, such as brushes, combs, and 

 sponges, are regularly attended to and dis- 

 infected. When the time for a show ap- 

 proaches, the travelling boxes are inspected 

 to ascertain that the hinges, locks, and bolts 

 are in working order and the staples secure. 

 These travelling boxes are an important 

 part of the show dog's equipment. They 

 must be strong and of appropriate size, in 

 shape not too much resembling an ordinary 

 packing case which can be overturned and 

 stowed by mistake beneath a pile of goods 

 in a railway van. Perhaps the roof -shaped 

 lid is best, as it ob- 

 viously suggests the 

 proximity of a live 

 dog. The ventila- 

 tion apertures must 

 be properly pro- 

 tected, so that by no 

 possibility can air 

 be excluded. In 

 such a box as the 

 one figured in this 



column a valuable dog can travel hundreds 

 of miles in safety and comfort. Such boxes 

 are convenient when sending a bitch on a 

 visit. No bitch in season should travel in 

 any receptacle that is not properly venti- 

 lated, that does not allow her plenty of 

 room in which to move, and that is not 

 absolutely secure. If she is not to be at- 

 tended on her journey a duplicate key of 

 the padlock should be sent in advance by 

 registered post. Address labels for use on 

 her return journey should on no account 

 be forgotten. 



A TRAVELLING BOX. 



73 



