S86 The Dog Book 



him by as a "red dog." Mrs. Lee was extremely unfortunate to lose Bruce 

 and still more so when her young dog Alta Barrie, son of Bruce, died so 

 soon after his sire. Bruce was the best son of Marse Jeems, and had size 

 and character, while his son was a better dog than he was, at least, we con- 

 sidered him so at the time of his death, and he was also handsomely marked. 

 It is somewhat strange to note the number of lady exhibitors of St. Bernards. 

 At one time Mrs. Smyth was almost alone with her Swiss Mountain dogs; 

 but at New York, in 1905, twenty of the forty-seven dogs entered were ex- 

 hibited by ladies. Mrs. Lee and Miss Marks of the Willowmere Kennels 

 are now the leaders, since Mr. Sheubrooks gave up his dogs, which were 

 headed by Sir Waldorf and included both roughs and smooths, the collection 

 being the best ever grouped in any one kennel in America. 



There is no question that we have excellent breeding material in this 

 country, and the only doubt regarding the future of the breed is as to a suffi- 

 cient number of persons taking interest enough to make use of that material. 

 At present the breed has been passed by the Great Dane, and the demand 

 of the public has undoubtedly fallen off very much from the day when fifty 

 dollars was a low price for a puppy, and grown dogs able to win at small 

 shows fetched from j?5300 to ;^6oo. The same class of dog is hard to sell 

 now at anything over J^ioo. The breed is dormant, or those interested in 

 it are, which amounts to the same thing; for unless a breed is boomed inter- 

 est dies out to a great extent. It was the public notoriety of the big dogs in 

 the Sir Bedivere days that set the public on edge; and that desire to be in 

 the swim has to be catered to or the public will not "take hold." There 

 is ample room for the St. Bernard Club to enlarge its sphere of influence 

 in this and other directions. 



One thing the St. Bernard Club should do without loss of time, is to 

 change completely the standard which they have had since 1889. Mr. Hopf's 

 influence was sufficient to have a translation of the long and very peculiar 

 standard of the Swiss club adopted. The translation is as misleading as the 

 standard itself, as, for example: "Eyes — Set more to the front than the 

 sides." The tail is also said in some specimens to hang down in the shape 

 of a "P." Can any one tell what that means ? Forthebenefit of our read- 

 ers we prefer to give something intelligible, and quote the short and 

 thorough standard of the English club. 



