THE DANDIE DINMONT TERRIER. 105 
like ear of Mr. Mellor’s “ Bandy,” which was among the disquali- 
fied class. Now I certainly could not entirely agree with Mr. 
Smith’s opinion when published in 1867-68, but he has lately 
resuscitated the subject, after having examined into the evidence 
im existence over the Border, and has published the following 
letter in “ The Field” of November 16 :— 
THE DANDIE DINMONT. 
Sir,—I must ask you kindly to allow me space in your next issue for a few 
remarks, which cannot, I take it, fail to be of interest to those of your readers 
who have an interest in, and care for, the dog called the Dandie Dinmont. 
It is because of late there has been much division of opinion as to what is, or 
what is not, the true and genuine breed of this particular dog, that I the more 
readily venture to state my own opinion on the matter. It will be in the 
recollection of most dog-fanciers that for two years in succession I had the 
pleasure of being one of the judges at the Birmingham Show, and also that 
I did, with my brother judges, disqualify and refuse to award prizes to certain 
dogs entered as Dandies. It is not now my intention to put myself on the 
defence because the course I took as a judge did not meet with the ‘entire 
approval of sundryexhibitors and others, nor is it my intention to attempt to 
reply to the one-sided and palpably false argumentative reasoning which has 
since appeared in public correspondence on the subject ; but my sole object 
in addressing you is to’give your readers the benefit of my experience and 
opinion, at the same time adducing statements of facts which no dispassionate 
dog-fancier can possibly gainsay or deny. I would beg, then, that members of 
the Dandie Clu), and Dandie fanciers generally, would either admit that iny 
opinion is entirely the correct one, or, if not correct, show in a truthful and 
logical way that it is an erroneous one. The position, then, which I take is 
this: That the so-called Dandies which are constantly receiving prizes at our 
leading dog shows are not of the pure Dandie Dinmont. breed, but are mongrels. 
J admit that I have devoted much time, thought, and money to make myself 
familiar with the numerous varieties called Dandies, and I generally allow that 
those judges whose knowledge of the Dandie is not so matured as my own 
ought not altogether to be blamed; but if they persist in hugging ignor- 
ance, and pandering to that which ought to give way to an exact and true 
knowledge of the matter which ‘is really within their reach, then indeed 
blame is their deserved portion. It is pitiable to note that from time to time 
prizes have been awarded to dogs which differed from each other on points 
which admit of no difference whatever in the case of dogs of a pure and 
special breed ; and I am prepared to say that from time to time standards of 
excellence for these “hybrid” Dandies‘lhave been made so as to suit the 
particular animal owned by the fanciers; and this, too, with the idea of 
carrying out to a greater degree the determination of some that this so-called 
