A Manual of Toy Dogs Part 7

_General Appearance._--That of a lively, highly-bred little dog, with dainty appearance, smart, compact carriage, and profuse coat. These dogs should be essentially stylish in movement, lifting the feet high when in motion, carrying the tail (which is heavily feathered) proudly curved or plumed over the back. In size they vary considerably, but the smaller they are the better, provided type and quality are not sacrificed. When divided by weight, cla.s.ses should be for under and over 7 lbs.

_Coat._--The coat should be long, profuse, and straight, free from curl or wave, and not be too flat; it should have a tendency to stand out, more particularly at the frill, with profuse feathering on the tail and thighs. _Colour._--The dogs should be either black-and-white or red-and-white--_i.e._, parti-coloured. The term "red" includes all shades of sable, brindle, lemon, and orange, but the brighter and clearer the red the better. The white should be clear white, and the colour, whether black or red, should be evenly distributed patches over the body, cheek, and ears. _Head._--Should be large for size of dog, with a broad skull, rounded in front; eyes large, dark, set far apart; muzzle very short and wide, and well cus.h.i.+oned--_i.e._, the upper lips rounded on each side of the nostrils, which should be large and black, except in the case of red-and-white dogs, when a brown-coloured nose is as common as a black one. _Ears._--Should be small, set wide apart, and high on the dog's head, and carried slightly forward, V-shaped.

_Body._--Should be squarely and compactly built, wide in chest, "cobby"

in shape. The length of the dog's body should be about its height. _Legs and Feet._--The legs should be straight and the bone fine; the feet should be long and hare-shaped. The legs should be well feathered to the feet on the front legs and to the thighs behind. The feet should also be feathered.

The points of Pekingese (as given by the same club). _General Appearance._--That of a quaint and intelligent little dog, rather long in body, with heavy front chest, and bow legs--_i.e._, very much out at elbow--the body falling away lighter behind. The tail should be carried right up in a curve over the animal's back, but not too tightly curled.

In size these dogs vary very much, but the smaller the better, provided type and points are not sacrificed. When divided by weight, cla.s.ses should be for under 10 lbs. and over 10 lbs. _Legs._--Should be short and rather heavy in bone, but not extravagantly so, as coa.r.s.eness is to be avoided in every point; they should be well out at elbow, and the feet turned outwards also. Both legs and feet should be feathered.

_Head._--Should be of medium size, with broad skull, flat between ears, but rounded on the forehead, muzzle very short (_not_ underhung), and very wide. The face should be wrinkled and nostrils black and full. Eyes large and l.u.s.trous; ears set high in the head, and V-shaped; they should be moderate in size (the tips never coming below the muzzle), and should be covered with long, silky hair, which extends much below the leather of the ear proper. _Colour._--These dogs should either be red, fawn, sable, or brindle, with black masks, face and ear shadings, or else all black. White patches on feet or chest, although not a disqualification, should not be encouraged. _Coat._--Should be long, flat, and rather silky, except at the frill, where it should stand out, like a lion's mane. The feathering on thighs and tail should be very profuse, and it is preferable that it should be of a lighter colour than the rest of the coat.

There is also the Pekin Palace Dog a.s.sociation. Secretary, Miss L. C.

Smythe, 115, Delaware Mansions, Sutherland Avenue, London, W.

Some other clubs are as follows (but it is in many cases usual to change the Secretary annually, so that these addresses are not all permanent, though letters generally find their mark):

Halifax and District Yorks.h.i.+re Terrier Club (Secretary, T. Whiteley, 10, High Street, Halifax).

Manchester and District Yorks.h.i.+re Terrier Club (Secretary, J.

Hardman, 9, Richmond Street, Newton Heath, Manchester).

Oldham Toy Dog Society (Hon. Secretary, A. E. Stansfield, 209, Park Road, Oldham).

Yorks.h.i.+re Pom Club (Hon. Secretary, E. Poppleton, 1, Clarendon Street, Wakefield).

Toy Dog Society of Scotland (Secretary, James Cameron, 61, Lothian Road, Edinburgh).

North of England Toy Dog Club (Secretary, R. Weatherhead, 14, Arctic Parade, Great Horton, Bradford).

Toy Dog Society (Secretary, E. T. c.o.x, 65 and 66, Chancery Lane, E.C.).