572 
SECTION 
VII. 
PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT. 
GHAPTE REX. 
BUYING AND SELLING, HOUSING, FEEDING, EXERCISE, Eve. 
“ First let the kennel bz the huntsman’s care.’’—SOMERVILLE. 
ANY people are deterred from keep- 
M 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 
