
Kennel Management 
BY MORTIMER BROWNE 
Every one who owns a dog is fond of it, but 
not every one knows how to house it. The old- 
fashioned watch dog used to be chained to a 
kennel year in and year out, until he almost 
rotted for want of exercise. No wonder the 
poor brute was fierce; you or I would be fierce, 
too, were we treated half so badly. The mod- 
ern dog owner, if he knows his business, sees 
that his favorites are handled in a more humane 
manner. 
The best of all is a kennel] with a run, that is, 
a space fenced in, in which the dog may exer- 
cise himself and enjoy a reasonable amount of 
liberty. Preferably the shelter should be a 
small, comfortable shed-like kennel, with a 
part, at least, of the run covered in. This keeps 
off rain and snow and does much to preserve a 
dog in health. It is almost as disagreeable for 
a dog as for a man to have a damp coat con- 
tinually, and the more highly bred the dog, the 
more susceptible he is to the weather 
The sleeping place should always be raised 
above the ground, though not so high that he 
can crawl underneath. In summer a thick 
covering of sawdust is cool, and tends to keep 
away vermin, but in winter a good bed of 
wheat straw is warmer and better in every way. 
Each year the inside of the kennel, as well as 
the outside, should be covered with a coat of 
lime wash, and if the run is not floored with 
- asphalt, or concrete, or bricks, but consists 
merely of earth, it should be dug deeply and 
thoroughly well mixed with lime, as this de- 
stroys the eggs of parasites, and does away with 
much of the risk of infection that is sure to 
follow if a dog is kept upon foul ground. 
Usually there is some small outbuilding that 
can be converted into a kennel, and several 
dogs may be kept together to better advantage 
than a single one, as the dog is an animal that 
loves company, and never seems to do so well 
as when he has others of his own kind near him, 
provided they are all healthy and have no 
infectious disease. 
The position of the kennel should depend 
upon the climate. In the North it should face 
the southerly points of the compass, from south- 
east to southwest, but it must never face the 
direction from which the prevailing winds 
blow. In the Southern States a northerly aspect 
would be better, and the wind need not be 
avoided so carefully. The roof of the shed 
should be sound, and if double, with a layer of 
tarred paper between the boards, it will afford 
considerable protection. On the score of 
safety, if the runs are not roofed in, they should 
at least be covered with a wire netting; breeders 
will understand why. The best floor is un- 
doubtedly concrete, being durable and clean, 
but as it costs about a dollar a square yard, not 
every owner would care to go to this expense. 
In large kennels, troughs for holding the food 
are sometimes preferred, but there is really 
nothing so good as large, brown, earthenware 
pans, which are cheap and easily cleaned. 
Food should never be left about the kennel, 
as it attracts flies, and, moreover, tends to put 
a delicate dog off its feed. If you should have an 
animal that is a poor eater and does not clean 
up what you give it, be very careful to remove 
all that is left, and do not on any account give 
it anything until the next mealtime is due; and, 
by the way, twice a day is enough to feed any 
dog—a light meal in the morning and a heavy 
one about six or seven in the evening. The 
vessels containing water should be always 
clean and never empty, as it is essential to a 
dog’s good condition that he should have an 
abundance of pure waier. 
In the North one of the greatest difficulties 
is to keep a kennel moderately warm in the 
winter. Some breeds, it is true, will get along 
without any heat whatsover, even in the North- 
ern prairie States, but pointers, fox terriers and 
other short-haired dogs should have some 
artificial warmth when the temperature has 
gone down far below the freezing point. The 
best heater is, of course, a regular hot-water 
arrangement such as is used in a house, and 
many of our largest kennels are fitted up in this 
manner, but, of course, such luxury is out of the 
question in the case of the ordinary dog owner 
with a small kennel, so we must fall back upon 
the good, old, wood-burning stove of our fore- 
fathers. It is, however, necessary to surround 
it with a wire grating, or something that will 
keep the dogs at respectful distance. 
