esult
of breeding for exceptionally long heads, which seem to be the craze
just now, and, of course, one cannot get extra long heads without
proportionately long bodies and large size. If it were possible to
do so, then the dog would become a mere caricature.

As a sporting terrier the Bedlington holds a position in the first
rank. He is very fast and enduring, and exceedingly pertinacious,
and is equally at home on land and in water. He will work an otter,
draw a badger, or bolt a fox, and he has no superior at killing rats
and all kinds of vermin. He has an exceptionally fine nose, and makes
a very useful dog for rough shooting, being easily taught to retrieve.
If he has any fault at all, it is that he is of too jealous a
disposition, which renders it almost impossible to work him with other
dogs, as he wants all the fun to himself, and if he cannot get it
he will fight for it. But by himself he is perfect. As a companion
he is peculiarly affectionate and faithful, and remarkably
intelligent; he makes a capital house-dog, is a good guard and is
very safe with children.

Bedlingtons are not dainty feeders, as most writers have asserted,
nor are they tender dogs. If they are kept in good condition and get
plenty of exercise they feed as well as any others, and are as hard
as nails if not pampered. They are easy to breed and rear, and the
bitches make excellent mothers. If trained when young they are very
obedient, and their tendency to fight can in a great measure be cured
when they are puppies; but, if not checked then, it cannot be done
afterwards. Once they take to fighting nothing will keep them from
it, and instead of being pleasurable companions they become positive
nuisances. On the other hand, if properly broken they give very little
trouble, and will not quarrel unless set upon.

CHAPTER XXXVI

THE IRISH TERRIER

The dare-devil Irish Terrier has most certainly made his home in our
bosom. There is no breed of dog more genuinely loved by those who
have sufficient experience and knowledge to make the comparison. Other
dogs have a larger share of innate wisdom, others are most
aesthetically beautiful, others more peaceable; but our rufous friend
has a way of winning into his owner's heart and making there an
abiding place which is all the more secure because it is gained by
sincere and undemonstrative devotion. Perhaps one likes him equally
for his faults as for his merits. His very failings are due