Dogs and All about Them Part 7

The back of the Schipperke is described as straight, but it should round off at the rump, which should be rotund and full, guinea-pig-like. The continued straight line of a terrier's back is not desirable, but it will frequently be found in specimens that have been docked. The Belgian standard requires the legs to be "fine,"

and not have much bone. The bone of a terrier is only met with in coa.r.s.e Schipperkes. As to size, it need only be noted that the maximum of the small size, viz., 12 lbs., is that generally preferred in England, as well as in Belgium. Further, it is only necessary to remark that the Schipperke is a dog of quality, of distinct characteristics, cobby in appearance, not long in the back, nor high on the leg; the muzzle must not be weak and thin, nor short and blunt; and, finally, he is not a p.r.i.c.k-eared, black wire-haired terrier.

The Schipperke's tail, or rather its absence, has been the cause of much discussion, and at one time gave rise to considerable acrimonious feeling amongst fanciers. On the introduction of this dog into Great Britain it arrived from abroad with the reputation of being a tailless breed, but whether Belgian owners accidentally conveyed that impression or did it purposely to give the breed an additional distinction is difficult to say. Anyhow the Schipperke is no more "tailless" than the old English Sheepdog. That is to say a larger number of individuals are born without any caudal appendage or only a stump of a tail than in any other variety of dogs. It is said that a docked dog can be told from one that has been born tailless in this way; when the docked animal is pleased, a slight movement at the end of the spine where the tail was cut off is discernible, but the naturally tailless dog sways the whole of its hind-quarters.

CHAPTER XIII

THE BLOODHOUND

The Bloodhound was much used in olden times in hunting and in the pursuit of fugitives; two services for which his remarkable acuteness of smell, his ability to keep to the particular scent on which he is first laid, and the intelligence and pertinacity with which he follows up the trail, admirably fit him. The use and employment of these dogs date back into remote antiquity. We have it on the authority of Strabo that they were used against the Gauls, and we have certain knowledge that they were employed not only in the frequent feuds of the Scottish clans, and in the continuous border forays of those days, but also during the ever-recurring hostilities between England and Scotland.

Indeed, the very name of the dog calls up visions of feudal castles, with their trains of knights and warriors and all the stirring panorama of these brave days of old, when the only tenure of life, property, or goods was by the strong hand.

This feudal dog is frequently pictured by the poet in his ballads and romances, and in "The Lady of the Lake" we find the breed again mentioned as

"--dogs of black St. Hubert's breed, Unmatched for courage, breath, and speed."

These famous black Bloodhounds, called St. Huberts, are supposed to have been brought by pilgrims from the Holy Land. Another larger breed, also known by the same name, were pure white, and another kind were greyish-red. The dogs of the present day are probably a blend of all these varieties.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BLOODHOUND CH. CHATLEY BEAUFORT. BY CH. CHATLEY BLAZER--CHATLEY FRIVOL. BRED AND OWNED BY MRS. G. A. OLIPHANT, SHREWTON, WILTS]

The Bloodhound, from the n.o.bler pursuit of heroes and knights, came in later years to perform the work of the more modern detective; but in this also his services were in time superseded by the justice's warrant and the police officer. We find it recorded about 1805, however, that "the Thrapston a.s.sociation for the Prevention of Felons in Northamptons.h.i.+re have provided and trained a Bloodhound for the detection of sheep-stealers."

The reputation it obtained for sagacity and fierceness in the capture of runaway slaves, and the cruelties attributed to it in connection with the suppression of the various negro risings, especially that of the Maroons, have given the animal an evil repute, which more probably should attach to those who made the animal's courage and sagacity a means for the gratification of their own revolting cruelty of disposition. It has been justly remarked that if entire credence be given to the description that was transmitted through the country of this extraordinary animal, it might be supposed that the Spaniards had obtained the ancient and genuine breed of Cerberus himself.

Coming again to this country, we find the Bloodhound used from time to time in pursuit of poachers and criminals, and in many instances the game recovered and the man arrested.

There is no doubt that the police in country districts, and at our convict prisons, could use Bloodhounds to advantage; but public sentiment is decidedly against the idea, and although one of His Majesty's prisons has been offered a working hound for nothing, the authorities have refused to consider the question or give the hound a trial.

Half a century ago the Bloodhound was so little esteemed in this country that the breed was confined to the kennels of a very few owners; but the inst.i.tution of dog shows induced these owners to bring their hounds into public exhibition, when it was seen that, like the Mastiff, the Bloodhound claimed the advantage of having many venerable ancestral trees to branch from. At the first Birmingham show, in 1860, Lord Bagot brought out a team from a strain which had been in his lords.h.i.+p's family for two centuries, and at the same exhibition there was entered probably one of the best Bloodhounds ever seen, in Mr.

T. A. Jenning's Druid. Known now as "Old" Druid, this dog was got by Lord Faversham's Raglan out of Baron Rothschild's historic b.i.t.c.h Fury, and his blood goes down in collateral veins through Mr. L. G.

Morrel's Margrave, Prince Albert Solm's Druid, and Mr. Edwin Brough's Napier into the pedigrees of many of the celebrated hounds of the present day.

Another famous Druid--grandsire of Colonel Cowen's hound of the name--was owned by the Hon. Grantley Berkeley. This typical dog was unsurpa.s.sed in his time, and his talent in following a line of scent was astonis.h.i.+ng. His only blemish was one of character; for, although usually as good-tempered as most of the breed are, he was easily aroused to uncontrollable fits of savage anger.

Queen Victoria at various times was the possessor of one or more fine specimens of the Bloodhound, procured for her by Sir Edwin Landseer, and a capital hound from the Home Park Kennels at Windsor was exhibited at the London Show in 1869, the judge on the occasion being the Rev. Thomas Pearce, afterwards known as "Idstone." Landseer was especially fond of painting the majestic Bloodhound, and he usually selected good models for his studies. The model for the hound in his well-known picture, "Dignity and Impudence," was Grafton, who was a collateral relative of Captain J. W. Clayton's celebrated Luath XI.

Four superlative Bloodhounds of the past stand out in unmistakable eminence as the founders of recognised strains. They are Mr. Jenning's Old Druid, Colonel Cowen's Druid, Mr. Reynold Ray's Roswell, and Captain Clayton's Luath XI.; and the owner of a Bloodhound which can be traced back in direct line of descent to any one of these four patriarchs may pride himself upon possessing a dog of unimpeachable pedigree.

Among breeders within recent years Mr. Edwin Brough, of Scarborough, is to be regarded as the most experienced and successful. No record of the breed would be complete without some acknowledgment of the great services he has rendered to it. Bloodhounds of the correct type would to-day have been very few and far between if it had not been for his enthusiasm and patient breeding. Mr. Brough bred and produced many hounds, which all bore the stamp of his ideal, and there is no doubt that for all-round quality his kennel stands first in the history of the Bloodhound. His most successful cross was, perhaps, Beckford and Bianca, and one has only to mention such hounds as Burgundy, Babbo, Benedicta, and Bardolph to recall the finest team of Bloodhounds that has ever been benched.

Mrs. G. A. Oliphant, of Shrewton, Wilts, whose kennels include Chatley Blazer and Chatley Beaufort, has of late years been a keen supporter of the breed. Mrs. Oliphant, who is the president of the ladies'

branch of the Kennel Club, is a great believer in hounds being workers first and show hounds second, and her large kennels have produced many hounds of a robust type and of good size and quality. There is no doubt that as far as hunting is concerned at the present moment this kennel stands easily first. But admirable Bloodhounds have also given distinction to the kennels of Mr. S. H. Mangin, Dr. Sidney Turner, Mr. Mark Beaufoy, Mr. F. W. Cousens, Mr. A. O. Mudie, Lord Decies, Mr. Hood Wright, Mr. A. Croxton Smith, Dr. C. C. Garfit, Dr.

Semmence, and Mrs. C. Ashton Cross, to mention only a few owners and breeders who have given attention to this n.o.ble race of dog.

The description of a perfect type of dog, as defined by the a.s.sociation of Bloodhound breeders, is as follows:--

GENERAL CHARACTER--The Bloodhound possesses, in a most marked degree, every point and characteristic of those dogs which hunt together by scent (_Sagaces_). He is very powerful and stands over more ground than is usual with hounds of other breeds. The skin is thin to the touch and extremely loose, this being more especially noticeable about the head and neck, where it hangs in deep folds. HEIGHT--The mean average height of adult dogs is 26 inches and of adult b.i.t.c.hes 24 inches. Dogs usually vary from 25 inches to 27 inches and b.i.t.c.hes from 23 inches to 25 inches; but in either case the greater height is to be preferred, provided that character and quality are also combined. WEIGHT--The mean average weight of adult dogs in fair condition is 90 pounds and of adult b.i.t.c.hes 80 pounds. Dogs attain the weight of 110 pounds, b.i.t.c.hes 100 pounds. The greater weights are to be preferred, provided (as in the case of height) that quality and proportion are also combined. EXPRESSION--The expression is n.o.ble and dignified and characterised by solemnity, wisdom and power.

TEMPERAMENT--In temperament he is extremely affectionate, quarrelsome neither with companions nor with other dogs. His nature is somewhat shy, and equally sensitive to kindness or correction by his master.

HEAD--The head is narrow in proportion to its length and long in proportion to the body, tapering but slightly from the temples to the end of the muzzle thus (when viewed from above and in front) having the appearance of being flattened at the sides and of being nearly equal in width throughout its entire length. In profile the upper outline of the skull is nearly in the same plane as that of the foreface. The length from end of nose to stop (midway between the eyes) should be not less than that from stop to back of occipital protuberance (peak). The entire length of head from the posterior part of the occipital protuberance to the end of the muzzle should be 12 inches, or more, in dogs, and 11 inches, or more, in b.i.t.c.hes.

SKULL--The skull is long and narrow, with the occipital peak very p.r.o.nounced. The brows are not prominent, although, owing to the deep-set eyes, they may have that appearance. FOREFACE--The foreface is long, deep, and of even width throughout, with square outline when seen in profile. EYES--The eyes are deeply sunk in the orbits, the lids a.s.suming a lozenge or diamond shape, in consequence of the lower lids being dragged down and everted by the heavy flews. The eyes correspond with the general tone of colour of the animal, varying from deep hazel to yellow. The hazel colour is, however, to be preferred, although very seldom seen in red-and-tan hounds. EARS--The ears are thin and soft to the touch, extremely long, set very low, and fall in graceful folds, the lower parts curling inwards and backwards. WRINKLE--The head is furnished with an amount of loose skin which in nearly every position appears super-abundant, but more particularly so when the head is carried low; the skin then falls into loose, pendulous ridges and folds, especially over the forehead and sides of the face. NOSTRILS--The nostrils are large and open.

LIPS, FLEWS, AND DEWLAP--In front the lips fall squarely, making a right-angle with the upper line of the foreface, whilst behind they form deep, hanging flews, and, being continued into the pendent folds of loose skin about the neck, const.i.tute the dewlap, which is very p.r.o.nounced. These characters are found, though in a less degree, in the b.i.t.c.h. NECK, SHOULDERS, AND CHEST--The neck is long, the shoulders muscular and well sloped backwards; the ribs are well sprung, and the chest well let down between the forelegs, forming a deep keel.

LEGS AND FEET--The fore-legs are straight and large in bone, with elbows squarely set; the feet strong and well knuckled up; the thighs and second thighs (gaskins) are very muscular; the hocks well bent and let down and squarely set. BACK AND LOINS--The back and loins are strong, the latter deep and slightly arched. STERN--The stern is long and tapering and set on rather high, with a moderate amount of hair underneath. GAIT--The gait is elastic, swinging, and free--the stern being carried high, but not too much curled over the back.

COLOUR--The colours are black-and-tan, red-and-tan, and tawny--the darker colours being sometimes interspersed with lighter or badger-coloured hair and sometimes flecked with white. A small amount of white is permissible on chest, feet, and tip of stern.

CHAPTER XIV

THE OTTERHOUND

The Otterhound is a descendant of the old Southern Hound, and there is reason to believe that all hounds hunting their quarry by nose had a similar source. Why the breed was first called the Southern Hound, or when his use became practical in Great Britain, must be subjects of conjecture; but that there was a hound good enough to hold a line for many hours is accredited in history that goes very far back into past centuries. The hound required three centuries ago even was all the better esteemed for being slow and unswerving on a line of scent, and in many parts of the Kingdom, up to within half that period, the so-called Southern Hound had been especially employed. In Devons.h.i.+re and Wales the last sign of him in his purity was perhaps when Captain Hopwood hunted a small pack of hounds very similar in character on the fitch or pole-cat; the _modus operandi_ being to find the foraging grounds of the animal, and then on a line that might be two days old hunt him to his lair, often enough ten or twelve miles off.

When this sort of hunting disappeared, and improved ideas of fox-hunting came into vogue, there was nothing left for the Southern Hound to do but to hunt the otter. He may have done this before at various periods, but history rather tends to show that otter-hunting was originally a.s.sociated with a mixed pack, and some of Sir Walter Scott's pages seem to indicate that the Dandie Dinmont and kindred Scottish terriers had a good deal to do with the sport. It is more than probable that the rough-coated terrier is identical with the now recognised Otterhound as an offshoot of the Southern Hound; but be that as it may, there has been a special breed of Otterhound for the last eighty years, very carefully bred and gradually much improved in point of appearance. They are beautiful hounds to-day, with heads as typical as those of Bloodhounds, legs and feet that would do for Foxhounds, a unique coat of their own, and they are exactly suitable for hunting the otter, as everyone knows who has had the enjoyment of a day's sport on river or brook.

The greatest otter hunter of the last century may have been the Hon.

Geoffrey Hill, a younger brother of the late Lord Hill. A powerful athlete of over six feet, Major Hill was an ideal sportsman in appearance, and he was noted for the long distances he would travel on foot with his hounds. They were mostly of the pure rough sort, not very big; the dogs he reckoned at about 23-1/2 inches, b.i.t.c.hes 22: beautiful Bloodhound type of heads, coats of thick, hard hair, big in ribs and bones, and good legs and feet.

Major Hill seldom exhibited his hounds. They were seen now and then at Birmingham; but, hunting as hard as they did through Shrops.h.i.+re, Staffords.h.i.+re, Ches.h.i.+re, and into Wales, where they got their best water, there was not much time for showing. Their famous Master has been dead now many years, but his pack is still going, and shows great sport as the Hawkstone under the Masters.h.i.+p of Mr. H. P. Wardell, the kennels being at Ludlow race-course, Bromfield.

The leading pack in the Kingdom for the last sixty years, at any rate, has been the Carlisle when in the hands of Mr. J. C. Carrick, who was famous both for the sport he showed and for his breed of Otterhound, so well represented at all the important shows. Such hounds as Lottery and Lucifer were very typical specimens; but of late years the entries of Otterhounds have not been very numerous at the great exhibitions, and this can well be explained by the fact that they are wanted in greater numbers for active service, there being many more packs than formerly--in all, twenty-one for the United Kingdom.

The sport of otter-hunting is decidedly increasing, as there have been several hunts started within the last six years. There can well be many more, as, according to the opinion of that excellent authority, the late Rev. "Otter" Davies, as he was always called, there are otters on every river; but, owing to the nocturnal and mysterious habits of the animals, their whereabouts or existence is seldom known, or even suspected. Hunting them is a very beautiful sport, and the question arises as to whether the pure Otterhounds should not be more generally used than they are at present. It is often a.s.serted that their continued exposure to water has caused a good deal of rheumatism in the breed, that they show age sooner than others, and that the puppies are difficult to rear. There are, however, many advantages in having a pure breed, and there is much to say for the perfect work of the Otterhound. The scent of the otter is possibly the sweetest of all trails left by animals. One cannot understand how it is that an animal swimming two or three feet from the bottom of a river-bed and the same from the surface should leave a clean line of burning scent that may remain for twelve or eighteen hours. The supposition must be that the scent from the animal at first descends and is then always rising. At any rate, the oldest Foxhound or Harrier that has never touched otter is at once in ravis.h.i.+ng excitement on it, and all dogs will hunt it. The terrier is never keener than when he hits on such a line.

The Foxhound, so wonderful in his forward dash, may have too much of it for otter hunting. The otter is so wary. His holt can very well be pa.s.sed, his delicious scent may be overrun; but the pure-bred Otterhound is equal to all occasions. He is terribly certain on the trail when he finds it. Nothing can throw him off it, and when his deep note swells into a sort of savage howl, as he lifts his head towards the roots of some old pollard, there is a meaning in it--no mistake has been made. In every part of a run it is the same; the otter dodges up stream and down, lands for a moment, returns to his holt; but his adversaries are always with him, and as one sees their steady work the impression becomes stronger and stronger that for the real sport of otter-hunting there is nothing as good as the pure-bred Otterhound. There is something so dignified and n.o.ble about the hound of unsullied strain that if you once see a good one you will not soon forget him. He is a large hound, as he well needs to be, for the "varmint" who is his customary quarry is the wildest, most vicious, and, for its size, the most powerful of all British wild animals, the inveterate poacher of our salmon streams, and consequently to be mercilessly slaughtered, although always in sporting fas.h.i.+on. To be equal to such prey, the hound must have a Bulldog's courage, a Newfoundland's strength in water, a Pointer's nose, a Retriever's sagacity, the stamina of the Foxhound, the patience of a Beagle, the intelligence of a Collie.

THE PERFECT OTTERHOUND: HEAD--The head, which has been described as something between that of a Bloodhound and that of a Foxhound, is more hard and rugged than either. With a narrow forehead, ascending to a moderate peak. EARS--The ears are long and sweeping, but not feathered down to the tips, set low and lying flat to the cheeks.

EYES--The eyes are large, dark and deeply set, having a peculiarly thoughtful expression. They show a considerable amount of the haw.

NOSE--The nose is large and well developed, the nostrils expanding.

MUZZLE--The muzzle well protected from wiry hair. The jaw very powerful with deep flews. NECK--The neck is strong and muscular, but rather long. The dewlap is loose and folded. CHEST--The chest, deep and capacious, but not too wide. BACK--The back is strong, wide and arched. SHOULDERS--The shoulders ought to be sloping, the arms and thighs substantial and muscular. FEET--The feet, fairly large and spreading, with firm pads and strong nails to resist sharp rocks.

STERN--The stern when the hound is at work is carried gaily, like that of a rough Welsh Harrier. It is thick and well covered, to serve as a rudder. COAT--The coat is wiry, hard, long and close at the roots, impervious to water. COLOUR--Grey, or buff, or yellowish, or black, or rufus red, mixed with black or grey. HEIGHT--22 to 24 inches.

CHAPTER XV

THE IRISH WOLFHOUND