PRACTICAL GREYHOUND BREEDING 87 



With regard to food, it should be varied occasionally : good 

 Id hound-meal, carefully and freshly prepared, with an ad- 

 lixture of flesh, and well-soaked biscuits mashed up with beet- 

 )0t or cabbage, are the staples, and the changes may be rung 

 lereon. Some extravagant breeders think that no greyhound 

 an be put into training with any hope of winning a stake un- 

 ;ss it has been reared on prime joints of mutton and beef ; but 

 tiis is all rubbish, as good sound horseflesh contains quite 

 afficient nourishment to develop the bone and muscle of any 

 log that was ever born. Another useful article of food, when 

 iroperly combined with the others, is plain suet pudding, and 

 fter all it is not a very expensive one, and in rearing grey- 

 lounds, as also blood stock, it never does to economise food, 

 est we prove penny wise and pound foolish. After our re- 

 narks about beef and mutton, we may appear to contradict 

 lurselves, but in the case of prime joints the extravagance is 

 hrown away and no good purpose is served. 



The danger attached to the rearing to maturity of one's 

 ;reyhounds is this. We have, so to speak, all our eggs in one 

 )asket ; the outbreak of distemper in its most malignant form 

 nay have fatal results, and the first victims are sure to be 

 )ur most cherished youngsters. Moreover, to do the thing pro- 

 jerly, quite a staff of servants is required, and, unless these are 

 rustworthy lads and have learnt their duties under a competent 

 naster, they will be found as great a trouble to their employer 

 is the young greyhounds are to them. Unless all circum- 

 itances are favourable, it will be as well to send the whelps out 

 walk at ten weeks old, and let them remain there until 

 hey are a year old, or until their delinquencies are so 

 narked that they can no longer be kept in a state of freedom. 

 To puppies reared in this way there are innumerable risks, and 

 he breeder may deem himself fortunate if a third of those sent 

 )ut are returned to him sound and well. If a sufficient num- 

 ber of * walkers ' who have any real knowledge of dogs, and of 

 ;reyhounds in particular, can be found, the risks are minimised, 

 ind the puppies fare better at walk than they do at Home. 



