other. To those of us
who love the dog as he is, and who believe in "letting well enough alone,"
we admit we might as well suggest to improve the majestic proportions of
the old world cathedrals and castles we all love so much to see, or
advocate the lightening up of the shadows on the canvas of the old
masters, or recommend the touching up of the immortal carvings of the
Italian sculptors. We advise the preacher to stick to his text, and the
shoemaker to his last, and to all those who would improve the standard we
say: Hands off! One very important feature in connection with the Standard
is, that while breeders and judges are perfectly willing to have all dogs
that come in the heavyweight class conform practically to it, when the
lightweights and toys are concerned, a somewhat different type is
permitted and the so-called terrier type is allowed, hence we see a
tendency with the smaller dogs to a narrower chest, longer face and tail.
While personally I am in favor of a dog weighing from sixteen to twenty
pounds, or even somewhat heavier, there is absolutely no reason why one
should not have any sized dog one desires, but please observe, do not
breed small dogs at the expense of the type. Let the ten or twelve pound
dog conform to the standard as much as if it weighed twenty. I think an
object lesson will be of inestimable value here. Every one who has visited
the poultry shows of the past few years must have been delighted and
impressed to see the beautiful varieties of bantams. Take the games, for
example, with their magnificent plumage and sprightly bearing. On even a
casual examination it will be discovered that these little fowls are an
exact reproduction of the game fowl in miniature. The same identical
proportions, symmetry and shape. Take the lordly Brahma and the bantam
bearing the same name, and the same exact proportions prevail. And so it
should be with the small Boston terrier. They should possess the same
proportions and symmetry as the larger. Remember always that when the dog
is bred too much away from the bulldog type, a great loss in the loving
disposition of the dog is bound to ensue. Personally, if the type had to
be changed, I would rather lean to the bull type than the terrier. The
following testimony of a Boston banker and director of the Union Pacific
Railroad, to whom I sold two large dogs that were decidedly on the bull
type, may be of interest at this point. Speaking of the first dog he said:
"I