THE PEKINESE. 
the penalisation of what, in other breeds, 
is known as a “ Dudley ” nose, but on this 
point there must be some difficulty at shows ; 
in the Pekinese the colour of the nose varies 
in a remarkable way, especially in the case 
of the bitches. For instance, a pinkish 
tinge was always visible on the nose of 
Goodwood Meh before the birth of her 
puppies; but it resumed its normal colour 
when the puppies were a few weeks old. 
As a_ representative 
type Chu-Erh of 
Alderbourne, when 
seen by the writer 
last year, resembled 
most nearly, I be- 
lieve, the old Good- 
wood dogs. He has 
the same _ square, 
cobby appearance, 
broad chest, bowed 
legs, profuse feather, 
and large, lustrous 
eyes — points which 
are frequently looked 
for in vain nowa- 
days—and hisbreeder 
and owner may well 
be proud of him. 
The Pekinese dif- 
fers from the Japan- 
ese dog in that it appears to be far stronger 
in constitution, and withstands the changes 
of the English climate with much greater 
ease; in fact, they are as hardy, under 
healthy conditions, as any English breed, 
and the only serious trouble seems to 
be the weakness which is developing in the 
eyes. Small abscesses frequently appear 
when the puppies are a few months old, and, 
although they may not affect the sight, they 
almost inevitably leave a bluish mark, while 
in some cases the eye itself becomes con- 
tracted. Whether this is one of the results 
of in-breeding it is difficult to say, and it 
would be of interest to know whether the 
same trouble is met with in China. 
The Pekinese bitches are excellent mothers, 
provided they are not interfered with for 
the first few days. This was discovered 
at Goodwood years ago by the fact that, on 
GOODWOOD PUT-SING un otp ace) 
BRED BY LADY A. GORDON-LENNOX. 
BY AH CUM——GOODWOOD QUEENIE. 
Photograph by T, Fall. 
447 
two or three occasions, one Celestial lady, 
who had been given greater attention than 
she considered necessary, revenged herself 
by devouring her own family of puppies ! 
One thing seems from experience to be es- 
pecially advisable—as far as can be arranged, 
to breed in the spring rather than autumn. 
The puppies need all the open air and exercise 
that is possible, and where rickety specimens 
are so frequently met with it is only 
natural that a puppy 
who starts life with 
the summer months 
ahead is more likely 
to develop well than 
one born in the 
autumn. Great at- 
tention should be 
paid with reference 
to the frequent— 
almost certain—pres- 
ence of worms, 
which trouble 
seems more preva- 
lent with Pekinese 
than with any other 
breed. Wherever 
possible, fish should 
be given as part of 
the dietary; some 
Pekinese devour it 
with relish; others will not touch it, but 
there is no doubt it is a useful item in 
the bill of fare. Bread well soaked in 
very strong stock, sheep’s-head, and liver 
are always better as regular diet than 
meat, but in cases of debility a little 
raw meat given once a day is most 
beneficial. 
It would not be fitting to close an article 
on Pekinese without bearing testimony to 
their extraordinarily attractive character- 
istics. They are intensely affectionate and 
faithful, and have something almost cat- 
like in their domesticity. They display far 
more character than the so-called “toy 
dog” usually does, and for this reason it 
is all-important that pains should be taken 
to preserve the true type, in a recognition 
of the fact that quality is more essential 
than quantity. 
