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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



been specially selected for the clown is hard 

 to understand ; but the fact remains that for 

 hundreds of years it has been the custom to 

 treat his coat in such a way as to make him 

 ridiculous. 



Either they clip his face, body, and legs, 

 leaving ruffles about his paws, tie the hair on 

 top of his head with a ribbon, and send him 

 out looking like a little girl going to a party, 

 or they partially clip him and allow the rest of 

 the hair to grow long until it twists itself into 

 cords which trail on the ground, making it 

 practically impossible to keep the dog clean 

 and sweet. Some owners tie these long cords 

 in little bundles over the back to hold them 

 out of the dirt, but fortunately the great diffi- 

 culty in keeping the so-called "corded" poodle 

 fit for exhibition is causing him to become less 

 and less popular. 



Thus the clever and adaptable poodle must 

 forever, it seems, be made a clown when in 

 reality he is one of the cleverest and most 

 teachable of dogs. Incidentally, he has all the 

 qualities of a first-class fowling dog: keen 

 scent, good sight, venturous spirit, and an in- 

 veterate love for the water. In many ways, 

 both physical and temperamental, he resembles 

 the strong and capable old Irish water spaniel, 

 and doubtless they have much in common. 



The "Caniche," as the French rather affec- 

 tionately call him, is the trick-dog par excel- 

 lence. Every dog show or "animal act" is 

 largely dependent on him for its best features 

 and the "bad dog" is almost invariably of this 

 type. 



The pictures show the three best known 

 variations. In any case, everybody knows a 

 poodle, and it is a pity that this humorous 

 fashion of making him look ridiculous should 

 have the effect of hiding from most people the 

 truly fine character that these dogs possess. 



Physically he differs from the Irish water 

 spaniel in being taller on his legs and generally 

 slenderer ; the muzzle is a little longer and 

 there is a strong tendency toward beard and 

 moustache which the clean-faced spaniel should 

 never show. They may be black, brown, red, 

 tawny, or white, but must be self-colored. The 

 extravagant growth of woolly hair is a strange 

 feature of the breed, particularly in the less- 

 popular corded variety. The "toys" are gov- 

 erned (though less strictly) by the same stand- 

 ards as the bigger type. The eye, though small, 

 is very bright and intelligent, and of all dogs 

 these seem to enjoy most keenly the perform- 

 ance of tricks and capers taught by their mas- 

 ters. There is almost no limit to their capac- 

 ity to learn. In Europe, heavier and more 

 muscular strains of the breed are used as 

 draught dogs, and in parts of Germany there 

 is a strain used for herding sheep. 



MEXICAN HAIRLESS 



(For illustration, see page 259) 



Every kind of a dog, however bizarre or 

 degenerate, can find a human friend some- 

 where, and this most unprepossessing product 

 of our unfortunate neighbor to the south is no 



exception. For unpleasant to the eye as he is, 

 with his sausage-like exterior, weak, lashless 

 eyes, and quivering drawn-in hind-quarters, he 

 is said, by his friends, to be a bright and very 

 affectionate little dog, which repays amply the 

 care and regard of his master. 



There seems to be a good deal of variation 

 permissible as to size, form, and contour, so 

 long as the prime misfortune of complete bald- 

 ness be present. The best specimens, however, 

 just to be bizarre, carry a topknot of silky 

 white hair on their crown. In general they are 

 like any medium-sized or small terrier whose 

 hair has been scalded off. 



The skin may be all pink, all dark purplish 

 like old bologna, or a marbled combination of 

 the two. The absence of a tempering coat of 

 hair makes them feel unpleasantly fevered to 

 the touch, and of course they are very sensi- 

 tive to changes in the temperature and hence 

 are rarely seen in the northern part of our 

 country. For the "purposes of a dog" they 

 are useless. 



CHIHUAHUA 



(For illustration, see page 259) 



Probably no animal known to man has had 

 so much nonsense and ignorant misconception 

 written about it as this rather insignificant 

 little Mexican product. Some writers have 

 claimed for him part ancestry with squirrels, 

 because he can scramble up the rough and 

 straggly chaparral of his native State, or with 

 the prairie-dog, from which he learns to dig 

 his alleged burrow. 



In cold fact he is just dog, and rather an 

 ordinary dog at that, without any faintest trace 

 of anything rodent-like in his entire physical 

 make-up. It would be as natural to expect a 

 hybrid between a bear and a beaver — or a wolf 

 and a rabbit. All this kind of talk, in which 

 animals of different orders are supposed to hy- 

 bridize, is, of course, pure nonsense and utterly 

 impossible, such as the widespread and gen- 

 erally credited raccoon and cat parentage of 

 the so-called "Maine Coon-Cat." 



The Chihuahua dog is simply a diminutive, 

 spindly, prominent-eyed and apple-headed lit- 

 tle terrier-like dog — all dog and simply dog. 

 He is an affectionate and benign little creature, 

 as most large-headed dogs are, and his physical 

 characteristics are shown in the plate. No 

 more mystery surrounds him than does any 

 other dog. He is a good illustration of Mr. 

 P. T. Barnum's well-known estimate of the 

 public, which likes to be humbugged. 



Full-grown specimens of this breed some- 

 times weigh less than a pound and a half and 

 can stand comfortably on an outstretched 

 hand; according to the standard, four pounds 

 is the limit. 



THE PUG 



(For illustration, see page 263) 



The pug was once a great favorite with 

 those who like pet dogs, but he has long since 



