MRS. JAGGER'S SMOOTH-COATED ST. BERNARD HAPSTEAD CHIEF.

From photo by Geo. Moore, Buckfastleigh.

MRS. JAGGER'S ROUGH-COATED ST. BERNARD CHAMPION AND PREMIER FRANDLEY STEPHANIE.

From photo by Geo. Moore, Buckfastleigh.

MRS. JAGGER'S SMOOTH-COATED ST. BERNARD CHAMPION AND PREMIER FLORENTIUS.

From photo by Ttaos. Fall, Baker Street, W.

In St. Bernards the earliest specimens would be considered dwarfs in comparison to present-day show animals. The high prices paid by Americans at one time for large and fine animals encouraged the breeding for size, until type and physical beauty have been sacrificed for size and bone, to the detriment of the breed. The Smooth dogs owned by Miss Hales and Miss Aglionby were about 27 or 28 in. at shoulder. The average weight of a bitch was 130 lb., and a dog 150 lb., and they were as active as terriers.

"The change from these earlier imported dogs to the huge specimens on the show bench of to-day is indeed great. Even the heads of such past celebrities as Thor, Bayard, and Save would look snipy in comparison to the heads of present-day champions.

"When the St. Bernard was first introduced, the dew-claws, white collar and blaze were considered necessary, and Mr. J. F. Smith's noted Champion Save suffered the loss of ten points when being judged because lacking dew-claws. Menthon, brought from the Alps by Mr. Macdona, was marked like a Black-and-tan Gordon Setter. I possessed her granddaughter, marked with the same colours. Such a colour now would be total disqualification, whilst dew-claws and white markings are considered of no moment.

"Whether or no the unwieldy size of the present St. Bernard, the expense of rearing such huge creatures, and the large amount of room required for proper housing has made the once premier dog an undesirable possession, the breed seems to be under a passing cloud, and the stately St. Bernard, whose place of exhibition was always surrounded by an admiring crowd, is waning in public favour.

"If thirty years bring changes in a breed, it has brought more startling changes in dogs and dog shows.

"A once primitive pastime has become a vast, organised business, demanding time, thought, and money. An animal that was once valued at three-halfpence can now be sold for a thousand pounds.

"The bull-dog. that was formerly the companion of a type of Bill Sykes, is in the front rank of canine beauties.

"The dogs of the shepherd and drover are the petted inmates of palaces. The Old English Mastiff has given place to the Russian Wolf-hound; the Black-and-tan English Terrier to the French Poodle; the hardy Terrier to the long-haired monstrosity and so on. Journals and newspapers devoted to dogs are as eagerly read as the daily newspaper, and dogs and dog showing are now part of the present social life. Perhaps the greatest change in dog showing from the days when they were held in obscure public-houses has been the introduction of the feminine element. Lady exhibitors now own some of the best dogs, both in large and small breeds, and are considered by many as reliable judges as men.

"After the breaking down of many hostile barriers they have been chosen to adjudicate upon their respective breeds without shocking 'Mrs. Grundy.' Miss Whitney, of America, was the first woman chosen to judge dogs, and she judged St. Bernards at New York.

"Miss Holdsworth and Mrs. Jenkins were the first ladies as judges in this country, and they judged Pugs and Toy Spaniels at Maidstone in 1886. Mrs. Foster, after bringing the Yorkshire Terrier to show perfection, judged at Manchester in 1889.

"Since the introduction of the St. Bernard into England the breed has always been favoured by women, yet I was the first woman asked to judge the breed (the first as well to judge any large breed). This was at Belfast so late as 1894, and the event caused a sensation at the time, the Press giving such headings as 'A Lady going to the Dogs,' 'Advance of Woman,' 'Innovation in Dog-judging,' etc. Now I can judge without comment. Other ladies have followed in taking the large breeds, notably Her Grace the Duchess of Newcastle, Mrs. Horsfall, Mrs. Mansfield, and others; in fact, female judges are now almost as numerous as men.

HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF NEWCASTLE.

From photo by Thos. Fall, Buker Street.

"My earliest recollections of dog showing were at the agricultural shows of the North, where dogs were only allowed on sufferance. 'Spratt's' and 'Calabar's' did not exist, and pedigrees were not required.

"Wooden stakes were driven into the ground, and the free air of heaven blew around them.

"I can, however, recall such old-world shows as Penistone and Woodsome, where fine specimens of the canine race were exhibited, such as Mastiffs, Bull-terriers, and the large Black-and-tan Terriers now so seldom seen. Exhibitors, too, whose names loomed large in those days, have either dropped out of the ranks or are dead. In the earlier days of dog shows committees of local agricultural shows had to look to gamekeepers and such ilk for canine knowledge, and these men were appointed judges year after year at some of the old-established agricultural shows of the North.

"I can remember showing my dogs under such judges as Joe Wolfenden, gamekeeper, Whitley Hall; George Hellewell, Sheffield; and John Crosland, Wakefield - all 'rough diamonds.'

"Then I can recall John Douglas, Clumber, Worksop; Charles Greaves, Ashton-under-Lyne; John Inman, Brighouse; B. Speight, Sheffield; J. T. Fisher, Cross Hills; John Sykes, solicitor, Huddersfield; and Mr. W. Lort, King's Norton. I was wont to look with reverent awe upon the latter, never dreaming that one day I too should myself ' don the ermine.' Another interesting item of my earliest recollections was that we were not allowed to either lead our dogs to be judged or be present.

"This was the case at the Belle Vue Gardens, Manchester, and at Birmingham until a few years since."

I am favoured with a good portrait of Mrs. Jagger, and am able to give pictures of three of her winning St. Bernards.