This section is from the book "A History And Description Of The Modern Dogs Of Great Britain And Ireland. (Non-Sporting Division)", by Rawdon Briggs Lee. Also available from Amazon: A History And Description Of The Modern Dogs Of Great Britain And Ireland, Non-Sporting Division.
The writer of "Stonehenge's" article lamented the fact that so few poodles were kept in this country at that time, although they had long been fairly established as a British dog. The Kennel Club Stud Book was first published in 1874, and the following year poodles were included in its pages, but there were only half-a-dozen entries. Later, the variety became more popular, and now each year's registration contains on an average between thirty and forty poodles. This increase is, no doubt, owing to the establishment of a Poodle Club, which was done in 1886. It contains a fair number of subscribers, whose object is, like that of other members of specialist clubs, to improve the dog and to encourage his exhibition at shows, where they provide special prizes for him.
A well-arranged schedule would contain two classes for previous winners of three or more first prizes, i.e., one for blacks, the other for whites, and even these might be sub-divided according to sex. Then there would be separate open classes for black corded dogs and for bitches; the same for white corded dogs and bitches; and four distinct divisions for black or white other than corded. Although some admirers do not set great store by the brown and parti - coloured poodles, two classes should certainly be made for poodles any variety other than black and white. Perhaps in countries where the poodle is more numerous than is the case here, it might be advisable to make the classification according to weight.
Some of my readers may wonder why a dog with all the intelligence and faithfulness of the poodle is not the most popular of his variety. Scientists have told us that his "cerebral cavity is more capacious than in other dogs, that the frontal sinuses are fully developed, and that the general formation of the head and skull exhibit every indication of extraordinary intelligence." But the poodle is, like most dogs with curly coats, a rather strong smelling animal, and not always quite a pleasant companion to have in the house. In other respects no animal could be better adapted for the purposes of a companion, for he is sensible, a good follower out of doors, seldom fights or quarrels, moreover he is a perfect specimen of faithfulness. We have had our British mastiff guarding the body of an English gentleman on the field of Agincourt. During the Peninsular War, a French poodle accompanied an officer with his regiment. The battle of Castella was fought, the master fell fatally wounded, the dog remained by the body. The cross of the Legion of Honour glittering and sparkling on the breast of the fallen officer attracted the eyes of his enemies. As they stooped down to cut the treasure from its ribbons, the poodle flew at the thieves, and did not cease his attack until, pierced by cruel bayonets, he fell dead alongside his dead master. Anecdotes of the constancy of the poodle could be quoted to almost any extent, and those of my readers who would have some of them I must refer to works that deal more with "dog stories" than can be done in these pages.
As already stated, it has for many years been the custom to shave and clip the coats of some poodles, but whether this was originally done to, in a degree, destroy the strong smell their curly coats, when neglected, possessed, or merely for fancy purposes to make them resemble something Nature never made, we cannot tell. Some of the corded poodles are not subjected to this tonsorial process, or they would be shorn of a great portion of their excellence. The length of these cords is, perhaps, the chief object to be aimed at in the production of this variety, and the length such cords have been known to attain is, without exaggeration, phenomenal. The most extraordinary creature in this respect I ever saw was a comparatively small-sized poodle named Fairy Queen, shown by Mrs. Troughear, of Leeds, and for many years it stood almost alone in the variety classes. This was a white dog, and its cords were of such unusual length that they were many inches longer than the height of the animal. When lying at rest, a very close examination had to be made to discern which was the head and which the stern of the curious creature.
Another extraordinary corded poodle was the imported dog, Lyris, successfully shown for many years by Mr. C. Kemp, of Brook Green. This was a large dog, standing 21½ inches high at the shoulder, his head was 9½ inches in length, his ears measured 37 inches from tip to tip, including the cords on them, and on each side of his body the cords hung down to the length of 23 inches.
This remarkable dog weighed 641b., and the measurements were taken after he had won the chief prize in the Kennel Club Show held in Jubilee year, 1887.
When Lyris was mated by Mr. Chance to his bitch Begum, a foundation was laid of a strain which has produced the bulk of the prize winners of late years. The most famous of the initial litter was Mr. Grave's Achilles, perhaps a larger and all round a better dog than his sire, the excellence of the latter notwithstanding. Achilles stands 23 inches high at the shoulders, his head is 11 inches in length, many of his cords measuring 30 inches, and falling quite six inches below his feet. It need scarcely be said that Achilles has won pretty much all before him in the show ring.
There are but few exhibitors of poodles at our shows at the present time, and undoubtedly the best kennel of all is that of Mr. R. V. O. Graves, who has an unusually strong team, as a rule almost invincible, including, as it does, specimens both black and white. His Achilles, Witch, Lyribel, The Druidess, and The Ghost, are particularly good of their variety. Mr. H. Sanguinetti, Mr. C. Kemp, Mr. J. Brewer, Mr. J. T. Beaumont, Mr. A. Levey, and Mr. A. Dagois, have had, and still have, good specimens of the breed, and are understood to be leading so called fanciers of the poodle. Still, I believe the trouble to keep the coats in good order will always stand in the way of this intelligent variety of the dog being as popular as it might be under different circumstances.
 
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