DOGS AND THEIR OWNERS

Notes of Past and Future Shows

THE eyes of the dog-loving world, or at any rate that part ot it which is at all within the range of vision, will be fixed next month on the great bench show of the year, the annual exhibition of the Westminster Kennel Club. The show, which is to take place on the 22nd, 23d, 24th and 25th of February, will be housed once more in its familiar haunt, the Madison Square Garden. The exhibition has been benched elsewhere for a number of seasons, having left the Garden because of the rumor that the big show building was to be torn down, but dog enthusiasts will be glad to see it back in the building with which it had become associated bv tradition. The premium list is of the usual generous proportions and entries close on the 28th of January with James Mortimer who is the superintendent and show secretary. The list of judges has been made up and the men and women who are to pass upon the merits of the various breeds are of course the recognized experts in their specialties. The judges with their classes are as follows:

Dr. Henry Jarrett, Chestnut Hill, Pa.— Bloodhounds, mastiffs, old English sheepdogs, chows, Samoyedes, boxers, Scottish terriers,

West Highland white terriers, toy poodles, Maltese terriers, Chihuahuas. Dudley Waters, Grand Rapids, Mich.—St. Bernards. Otto J. A. Grassi, New York — Great Danes. Rupert W. K. Anderson, Plainfield, N. J.— Russian wolfhounds. J. Willoughby Mitchell, New York — Irish wolfhounds, Scottish deerhounds, retrievers, Dobermann Pinchers, whippets. Jay Gould, New York — Pointers. A.

G. Hooley, Plainfield, N. J.—English and Gordon setters. Dr. Charles A. Gale, Rutland, Vt.—Irish setters. James Anderson, Jersey City, N. J.—Sporting spaniels. Mrs. Charles H. Lester, Englewood, N. J.— Dachshunds. II. B. Hungerford, Chicago, Ill.—Collies. William NeuhofT, Harrington Park, N. J.—German sheepdogs. Theodore Crane, Newr York—Poodles other than toys; Dalmatians. Arnold Lawson, Boston, Mass.—Bulldogs and French bulldogs. Winthrop Rutherfurd, Allamuchy, N. J.—Airedale, Irish and Welsh terriers. Claire Foster, Douglaston, L. I.—Bull terriers. Charles Lyndon, Toronto, Canada — Fox terriers, Dandie Dinmont, Bedlington, Yorkshire and black and tan terriers (Manchester and toys), Schipperkes and miscellaneous classes. Harry T. Fleitmann, New York — Sealyham terriers. Mrs. R. F. Mayhew, New Hyde Park, L. I.—Pomeranians, English toy spaniels, Japanese, Pekingese, pugs and Brussels Griffons.

Indications point to an exceptionally large entry for the show this year, in fact, since there are no shows in Europe, it will virtually stand alone in its class.

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SOME interesting innovations in handling the exhibition were introduced at the Toy Dog Show of the Toy Spaniel Club of America which was held at the Waldorf at the end of the month. The size of the entry made it necessary to use the Astor Gallery for judging rings exclusively, the dogs being quartered in the rooms round about. There was also an absence of benching in the ordinary sense for each dog had a cage of its own which must have been a far more agreeable experience for the canines themselves than the usual method. Judging was done on a dais in the center of the gallery so that visitors and owners could sit about in comfort while the awards were being made and were spared the ordinary tedious stand and the craning of necks to see. There was the liveliest sort of competition, the trophy for the best specimen in the show going to Omija, Mrs. Charles H. Van Heusen's Japanese spaniel who won over Mr. Quintard's famous fox terrier, Matford Vic. Some of the other principal prizes went to Mrs. W. R. Dunn's Some Boy who was adjudged the best Boston terrier, Miss Marian Kennedy's Pomeranian, Champion Parneuk Blackthorn, Mrs. Frank T. Clarke's American bred Pomeranian bitch, Fairfax Wee Bernice, Mrs. J. G. Rossman's fine Maltese, Sweetsir of Dyker, and the Sealyham terrier, Ivo Caradoc, shown by W. Ross Proctor. Mrs. M. E. Harby's Champion Chu Yen of Toddington, scored another victory by taking the ribbon in the Pekingese dogs winner's class.

PLANS are progressing rapidly for the big Charity Dog Show to be held in the Seventy-first Regiment Armory, March 19 and 20. The committee in charge has decided to devote the proceeds solely to the relief of distress at home instead of presenting them to the Red Cross, feeling that the appeals of urgent need in this country should be answered first. An entry of at least 1,500 dogs is expected and a four-point show is assured. The Board of Patronesses for this exhibition includes Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, Mrs. Reginald C. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Herbert M. Harriman, Mrs. Charles F. Whitman, Mrs. U. S. Grant 3d, Mrs. Henry W. Taft, Mrs. Payne Whitney and Mrs. Elihu Root, Jr. The officers of the undertaking are Theodore Offerman, president; First Vice-President, Alfred B. Maclay; Second VicePresident, Dr. John E. De Mund; Third Vice-President, John F. Collins; Treasurer, John G. Bates, and Secretary. James R. Waterhouse. Entries close with W. FI. Purcell, manager, on February" 27, which is two days after the close of the Westminster show. That club, as well as the Ladies' Kennel Association of America, the Long Island Kennel Club and other specialty and kennel clubs all through the country, are to further this benching.

It is planned to hold more than the usual bench show events in connection with the Charity Dog Show. There will be whippet racing in the armory and miniature field trials for some of the game varieties, including spaniels, retrievers, pointers and setters. In addition, there will be interborough and inter-city tests for fire and police dogs and other competitions on the ordinary programme.

The Red Cross is to benefit by the fifth annual show of the Pomeranian Club of America to be held at the Plaza on January 25 and to be judged by Vinton Breese.

IT is understood that George Jay Gould, Jr., has been conducting some rather successful experiments of late with cross breds to be used to hunt wildcats on the Gould property in the Catskills. The cross which he has tried is a peculiar one, the Russian wolf hound and the English bulldog, but it is not difficult to see how a strain excellent for the purpose in hand might arise from such a mixture of bloods. A dog of smaller size than the Barzoi is desirable for use in timber land and this feature would be assured by the bulldog cross. No dog is a more daring hunter than the big Russian breed and none probably possesses greater keenness of vision, but to these desirable qualities the bull would add his tenacity of purpose and staunchness. A cross not unlike this lies in the history of the greyhound breed which has more than once had an admixture of bulldog and bull terrier blood for the purpose of introducing and strengthening the combative instincts of the hound.

A VALUABLE volume for beagle owners and lovers has recently been issued by the National Beagle Club of America. This is a record of the annual field trials and show held in November at Bluemont, Va. A compendium of this character for beagle owners has hardly been issued before, for the folio volume is more than a mere account of the meeting; it contains the names of many of the world's leading field trial beagles with their owners and the names of the breeders of the sires and dams of the dogs.

The various merits of the Airedale were recently set forth in an interesting light by Wyndham Martyn, the writer, in an interview. Mr. Martyn, who is a Cambridge man, hunted a mixed pack of Airedales and Otter hounds on the Camel River in Cornwall after leaving the university. He kept a couple of hounds in the pack to teach the terriers the way to hunt this particular game and to keep them "to brook." He found them excellent for the work but inclined to have too much dash and to go in too swiftly, resulting in a good deal of punishment from the old dog otters. Mr. Martyn has had Airedales in the field in Africa, north of the Zambesi and in Mashonaland and also in the Rockies in this country. He has also tried them on the little bears of Japan and in India and Australia, and never found the breed wanting in gameness and all-round qualities.

It is possible that two famous dogs of this breed in this country may meet in a match to decide a muchmooted question of supremacy between them. These are Andrew Albright, jr.'s, Patrick Oorang and Theodore Offerman's York Rybum Swell, both of them imported specimens.

Dogs are tricky things to buy, for unless you are well informed regarding their fine points, you are apt to be sold a mongrel at the price of a thoroughbred. It will save you a lot of time, trouble and expense if, before making your purchase, you will write to the Dog Mart of Vanity Fair, explaining your needs. The Dog Mart, which appears in this issue on pages 10 and 11, is in the hands of experts who are not only capable of advising you but who can buy a dog, or many dogs, for you. Consult them at your convenience. Their services are free of charge.