Dogs and All about Them

For the full display of their beauty, Yorkshire Terriers depend very much upon careful grooming. It is only by grooming that the silvery cascade of hair down the dog's sides and the beautiful tan face-fall that flows like a rain of gold from his head can be kept perfectly straight and free from curl or wrinkle; and no grease or pomade, even if their use were officially permitted, could impart to the coat the glistening sheen that is given by the dexterous application of the brush. The gentle art of grooming is not to be taught by theory. Practice is the best teacher. But the novice may learn much by observing the deft methods employed by an expert exhibitor. Mr. Peter Eden, of Manchester, is generally credited with being the actual inventor of the Yorkshire Terrier. He was certainly one of the earliest breeders and owners, and his celebrated Albert was only one of the many admirable specimens with which he convinced the public of the charms of this variety of dog. He may have given the breed its first impulse, but Mrs. M. A. Foster, of Bradford, was for many years the head and centre of all that pertained to the Yorkshire Terrier, and it was undoubtedly she who raised the variety to its highest point of perfection. Her dogs were invariably good in type. She never exhibited a bad one, and her Huddersfield Ben, Toy Smart, Bright, Sandy, Ted, Bradford Hero, Bradford Marie, and Bradford Queen--the last being a bitch weighing only 24 oz.--are remembered for their uniform excellence. Of more recent examples that have approached perfection may be mentioned Mrs. Walton's Ashton King, Queen, and Bright, and her Mont Thabor Duchess. Mr. Mitchell's Westbrook Fred has deservedly won many honours, and Mr. Firmstone's Grand Duke and Mynd Damaris, and Mrs. Sinclair's Mascus Superbus, stand high in the estimation of expert judges of the breed. Perhaps the most beautiful bitch ever shown was Waveless, the property of Mrs. R. Marshall, the owner of another admirable bitch in Little Picture. Mrs. W. Shaw's Ch. Sneinton Amethyst is also an admirable specimen.