lass Borzois by offering its valuable challenge cups and
other special prizes, and generally looking after the interests of
the breed.

Although the Club standard of height has been raised from 27 and 26
inches to 29 and 27 inches for dogs and bitches respectively, it must
be borne in mind that the best dogs of to-day far exceed these
measurements, and, unless _exceptionally_ good in other points, a
dog of 29 inches at shoulder would stand little or no chance in the
showing under the majority of English judges; indeed, bitches of 29
to 30 inches are by no means uncommon.

Not many of us can afford to start at the top of the tree, and, except
for the favoured few to whom money is no object, and who can buy
ready-made champions, there is no better way of starting a kennel
than to purchase a really good bitch, one, say, capable of winning
at all but the more important shows. She must be of good pedigree,
strong, and healthy; such an one ought to be obtained for P15 upwards.
Mate her to the best dog whose blood "nicks" suitably with hers, but
do not waste time and money breeding from fourth-rate stud dogs, for
if you do it is certain you will only meet with disappointment. On
the other hand, if you have had little or no experience of dogs, you
may possibly prefer to start with a puppy. If so, place yourself in
the hands of a breeder with a reputation at stake (unless you have
a friend who understands the breed). It is a fact that even a "cast
off" from a good strain that has been bred for certain points for
years is more likely to turn out a better dog than a pup whose dam
has been mated "haphazard" to some dog who may or may not have been
a good one. Big kennels also generally possess the best bitches and
breed from them, and the bitch is quite as important a factor as the
sire. If, however, you prefer to rely on your own judgment, and wish
to choose a puppy yourself from a litter, select the one with the
longest head, biggest bone, smallest ears, and longest tail, or as
many of these qualities as you can find combined in one individual.
Coat is a secondary matter in quite a young pup; here one should be
guided by the coat of the sire and dam. Still, choose a pup with a
heavy coat, if possible, although when this puppy coat is cast, the
dog may not grow so good as one as some of the litter who in early
life were smoother.

As regards size, a Borzoi pup of three months should measure about
19 inches at the shoulder, at