Dogs Used in Sport (Continued)

greyhounds—scottish deerhounds—irish wolfhounds—borzois—whippets

Greyhounds.—This is certainly, whether quite in his present form and appearance or not, one of the most ancient breeds, and believed to have been kept by our forefathers in the earliest part of the Christian era. It is said to have been introduced into this country in the days of Elfric, Duke of Mercia, and manuscript paintings exist of a Saxon chief, his huntsman and a brace of Greyhounds in the ninth century. Although not generally credited with much more intelligence than to view a hare and run after it until he catches it, or it gets away, I mention later on in this book, some tales of his sagacity which I believe are well authenticated, and will now give a detailed description of the breed:—

Points of the Greyhound.—Head, narrow and fine, with sufficient muscle; nose should be straight (not curved, many, otherwise good, are spoiled by "Roman noses"); nasal sinuses not developed; eyes full and bright, full of life; semi-erect, small, well shaped ears; neck long, slightly curved; chest capacious, plenty of "lung power," deep rather than wide; shoulders deep, narrow at top, like racehorses' shoulders in their position; forelegs straight, well set on, well muscled; forearms, long, strong and muscular; feet compact, and not too long; well arched ribs; wide, large and muscular hips; long, strong, slightly arched back; hocks and knees placed low; coat glossy as satin (many good "performers" however, have been the reverse of this); Colours: white, red, brindle, blue and white, fawn, black, red and fawn, etc., quite a matter of taste. It is thought, by some people, that more great winners have been produced from the blacks, and black and whites, than from any other colours. As far as show winners are concerned, and I have had scores of the breed before me, I am inclined to think brindles, blacks and fawns have been the most often the winning colours.

The Scotch Deerhound.—Although I have often seen these graceful animals (as we know was the case with Sir Walter Scott), made inmates of the house, there is a rugged, moorland, and, withal, business-like look about them which gives you the idea they would be more at home in the open air, on the heather, or the mountain side, for choice, than in the most luxurious house dwelling. It is some time since I had any of them, but I was very partial to the breed, and used to exhibit for some time, and well remember the grace and activity often displayed by some of my specimens. I always go and have a look at them at the shows. I am not quite convinced they are making much progress, just now, although undoubtedly there are good specimens. There are so many new breeds being brought out and "pushed" forward, some of the older ones are apt to be neglected.

The Points of Scotch Deerhound.—The points of this breed are stated by a well known breeder and exhibitor as follows:—Head, long and narrow, tapering gradually from the ears, knee flat; nose, black, occasionally a blue black, and pointed, lips level, ears small, set on high and carried in a fold, soft, silky, and free from long hairs; neck long but strong, nape very prominent, shoulders sloping, toes close and arched, chest deep, body long, but well ribbed up; loins arched with great breadth across hips, stifle well bent, thighs long; tail set on low, curved but not coated, coat rough and harsh on body, mane on neck and slight fringe on inside of legs, thighs, and tail. Colours: all shades from dark blue or black brindled, to light grey brindled, fallow, fawn, dun and drab. White markings often seen on chest and feet, but most objectionable.

The Irish Wolf Hound.—I think nearly all persons who take any interest in this grand old breed, stated to have been well known to and greatly prized by "the Romans," in old times, are aware that no one of the present generation has devoted more time and trouble, in diving into the history of the breed in the past, and doing his utmost, both by experimental breeding, and stirring up a similar ardour in others, to revive at least some of the past glories of the breed, in the present and future, than Captain George Graham, of Dursley, and I venture to make some quotations from an excellent and interesting article of his on the subject, as being the highest authority procurable: "The form of the old Irish Wolfhound should be that of a tall, heavy Scotch Deerhound, much more massive, and very majestic looking, active and fast, perhaps less so than our present breed of Deerhounds; neck thick in comparison to his form, and very muscular, body and frame lengthy. Head, long but narrow, coming to a comparative point towards the nose, which is rather large; and head gradually getting broader from the same evenly up to the back of the skull, not sharp up to the eyes and then suddenly broad and humpy. Coat, rough, hard and long all over the body, head, legs and tail. Hair on head, long, but rather softer than on body, standing out boldly over eyes, beard under jaws, very marked and wiry. Colours: black, grey, brindle, red, and fawn, though white dogs were esteemed in former times. Ears, small in proportion to size of head, and erect, as in Smooth Greyhounds. If dark in colour, to be preferred. The tail, should be carried with an upward curve only, and not be curled as is the case with many Greyhounds. Size. We may safely deduce that the height of these dogs varied from thirty-two to thirty-four inches, and even thirty-five in the dogs, and from twenty-nine to thirty-one in the bitches. The other dimensions would naturally be about as follows for well shaped and true formed dogs. Girth of chest. Dogs thirty-eight to forty-four inches; bitches thirty-two to thirty-four inches. Weight. Dogs one-hundred and fifteen to one hundred and forty pounds; bitches ninety to one hundred and fifteen pounds. Girth of forearm. Dogs ten to twelve inches; bitches eight and one-half to ten inches. Length of head. Dogs twelve and one-half to fourteen inches; bitches eleven to twelve inches. Most modern authors, and all practical lovers of the canine race whom the writer has consulted, are agreed that the foregoing is the correct type of dog beyond question."

Show Points of the Irish Wolf Hound.—Skull, long but rather narrow in proportion to the animal's height and weight, very gradually tapering to the nose, which should be large; ears small; eyes dark hazel; neck of fair length and very muscular; shoulders sloping, chest rather wide and very deep; body long and very powerful, though free from any suspicion of clumsiness; forelegs, straight, and heavy in bone; feet, compact, and of a good size and well padded; hindquarters, very muscular, with bent stifles and hocks; tail carried rather upward in similar form; coat, profuse, hard, and weather resisting; brindle, black, or fawn are the most usual colours, though whites are known. Size, as tall as possible.

The Borzois.—I will next deal with the Borzois, the name of the Russian Wolf Hounds, which have become so much more numerous of late years, and are being patronised not only by many of the nobility and gentry, but even by H. R. H. the Princess of Wales. The portrait of a champion from H. R. H. kennels illustrates this variety. I remember H. R. H. the Prince of Wales exhibited some specimens of this breed a good many years ago, at Warwick, on one of the many occasions of my judging there, and if I remember rightly Lady Charles Innes Ker was also an exhibitor of the breed at the same show, but those shown by the latter, although what would at the present day, be considered small and weedy specimens, were more, in colour, coat and type, like those now imported from Russia, while those then shown by H. R. H. the Prince (although, I think, stated to be a present to him from the then Emperor of Russia,) were pale cream, or freestone, colour, with harsher coats, and more altogether on the style of very light coloured Scotch Deerhounds. I may say, however, that for elegance, elasticity, beauty of form, and movement, there is no breed to surpass the Borzois and I have no doubt they will continue to increase in popularity. The points most sought after in the breed are:—narrow, domed, and long skulls, long, powerful jaws, with rather arched noses, soft and intelligent expression; very powerful, slightly arched and longish sides, on sloping shoulders, deep but rather narrow chests; backs rising in a gradual curve at loins, very muscular, but appearance of being rather "tucked up;" forelegs straight, strong and well under body; feet close and well padded; hindquarters immensely muscular and powerful, backs well let down, tail carried low, in a graceful curve; coat profuse and silky looking, colours usually white with lemon, grey or red markings, but self-coloured specimens are often seen; the general appearance is that of a high bred, distinguished looking, graceful animal, something the shape and size of a Scotch Deerhound, but differing from it in many respects. As I judged this breed long before there was any club or classes provided for it, I have always taken much interest in it, and been pleased to see how rapidly it has come into public favour.

The Whippet.—Although their size and elegance of shape would make them eligible, I think, the Whippet, or "Running Dog," as he is sometimes called, is not often kept strictly as a pet or companion, but more often as a means of a little speculation on its fleetness of foot. No doubt most of my readers will be aware, it is a small sized Greyhound, rather long in head, wide between the eyes, flat at top, jaw powerful but clean, level teeth, bright eyes, small rose ears, long, arched neck, no throatiness, muscular, oblique shoulders, deep chest, strong loins, arched back, rather long and broad. Legs straight, short and muscular thighs, feet round and well split up, tail tapering and long, with good carriage. Coat fine and close, colours, white, brindle, fawn, blue, red, black, and mixtures of each. Of late years there has been greatly revived interest taken in these dogs, and considerable prizes have been offered for their competition. I have noticed also a marked increase in the entries at shows providing classes for them, and on several occasions, at the larger shows, I have had good classes containing many beautiful specimens of this breed, which is so largely kept by colliers and others of the working classes in the "Black Country."