PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT. 
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, 
tice, 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- 
Si 
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 
ina 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 
