The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dogs and All About Them, by Robert Leighton

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Title: Dogs and All About Them

Author: Robert Leighton

Release Date: February 8, 2004 [EBook #10991]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM ***

Produced by Wendy Crockett

DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM

BY

ROBERT LEIGHTON

ASSISTED BY

EMINENT AUTHORITIES ON THE VARIOUS BREEDS

WITH SEVENTEEN FULL-PAGE PLATES

[Frontispiece: SMOOTH-COATED ST. BERNARD: CH. THE VIKING. (_From the
Painting by Lilian Cheviot.)]

[Transcriber's Note: The capital letter "P" has been used throughout
to represent the pound sign of British currency.]

PREFACE

The popularity of the dog as a companion, as a guardian of property,
as an assistant in the pursuit of game, and as the object of a
pleasurable hobby, has never been so great as it is at the present
time. More dogs are kept in this country than ever there formerly
were, and they are more skilfully bred, more tenderly treated, and
cared for with a more solicitous pride than was the case a generation
ago. There are fewer mongrels in our midst, and the family dog has
become a respectable member of society. Two million dog licences were
taken out in the British Isles in the course of 1909. In that year,
too, as many as 906 separate dog shows were sanctioned by the Kennel
Club and held in various parts of the United Kingdom. At the present
time there exist no fewer than 156 specialist clubs established for
the purpose of watching over the interests of the different breeds.

Recognising this advance in our national love of dogs and the growing
demand for information on their distinguishing characteristics, I
am persuaded that there is ample room for a concise and practical
handbook on matters canine. In preparing the present volume, I have
drawn abundantly upon the contents of my larger and more expensive
_New Book of The Dog_, and I desire to acknowledge my obligations
to the eminent experts who assisted me in the production of the
earlier work and whose contributions I have further utilised in these
pages. I am indebted to Mr. W. J. Stubbs