Setters

Best, one of Pape's celebrated double-barrelled guns, worth from £15 to £20. First: William Jobling, Morpeth (Black-and-tan). Very highly commended: Thomas Robson, Ord Street, Newcastle. Highly commended: Thompson Coe, Middlesbrough. Commended: R. Story, Quarrington, via Ferryhill; William Wilkinson, Darlington; Thomas Green, Blanchland, Riding Mill; John Grisdale, Naworth Castle, Brampton; Matthew Taylor, Whickham; and Robert Kerp, Monteviat, Jedburgh. Thirty-six competitors.'

"Mr. Shorthose, who is seventy-seven years of age, being seven years Mr. Pape's senior, was not associated with Pointers at this time, but had kept English Water-spaniels from a lad, when at home with his parents, who lived about a mile from the River Trent, in Staffordshire. Mr. Pape, on the other hand, being a well-known gunsmith, was associated with Pointers and Setters, which were then used largely, almost exclusively, for shooting over. Indeed, Mr. Pape had a well-known breed of Pointers, and his father before him kept many breeds of dogs.

"The show being a success, it induced the late Mr. Richard Brailsford, the late Mr. Frederick Burdett, the late Viscount Curzon (afterwards Earl Howe), and the late J. H. Walsh ('Stonehenge') to organise a similar Show of Sporting Dogs in Birmingham at the end of the same year (1859), and this led to the formation of the present Birmingham Dog Show Society, which has held a show in the Midland metropolis every year since that date." - Our Dogs.

As I am sure many of my readers will like to have the details of this historic show before them, I will not apologise for quoting, almost verbatim, from the interesting article which appeared in the last Christmas number of the above-named popular paper, so well known amongst Doggy People in this and other countries.

The Mr. R. Brailsford mentioned as an exhibitor and judge at the first dog show, and who, if I am not mistaken, was in some way connected with Lord Derby's kennels, was the organiser, or promoter, of what is stated to be the first show ever held at Birmingham in November of that same year (1859), although it was confined to Sporting Dogs only, and not many classes of them, as I find them consisting of Pointers (large size), dogs; ditto bitches; small size Pointers (no dogs entered, but some bitches); Pointer puppies; English Setters, dogs; ditto bitches; Setter puppies, Retrievers, Clumber Spaniels, Cockers, or other Spaniel breeds. Judges' names, or number of entries, I have not ascertained.

In 1860, I think in December, or late in November, I remember attending a dog show held under canvas in a field in White Ladies' Road, Clifton, Bristol.

I was a schoolboy at the time, and I am sure it was my first experience of a dog show, and I was much interested in the animals shown, many of which, I remember, came from well-known London dog fanciers; but the thing which particularly impressed it on my mind was that we showed a Wire-haired Fox-terrier, lately received from Mr. R. B. Giles, of Berkeley, who had it from the huntsmen of the Berkeley Fox-hounds (because of its being so dark in colour - nearly black, with hound tan markings), and took first prize with him! His name was Tippoo Sahib, but of course called Tip by us, and was one of the smartest, gamest little fellows that ever looked through a collar. As a rat killer, I do not know I have ever seen his equal, certainly not his superior; though we had at the same time a mustard Dandy Dinmont bitch, Lassie, who ran him very closely, and we had the opportunity of keeping them in practice at ratting in rather an unusual way.

My father was one of the directors of a Zoological Gardens carried on in the nearest town to where we lived, and most of the animals' houses, but particularly the monkeys' and reptiles', where great numbers of different kinds of parrots, cockatoos, etc., were also kept, were greatly infested with rats, which used to come after the food given to the animals and birds, inflicting considerable loss on the management. Accordingly, "rat hunts" were organised and held, chiefly during cold weather, as otherwise the rodents would find food about the grounds, and not trouble about the houses; and one of my brothers and I always received an invite from the head keeper, as our dogs were well-known "workers."

In each of the houses only two rat holes were allowed, and over each of them was a piece of wood screwed to the floor at one end, and able to be moved at will. Some nights before our intended attack rather more food, in shape of scraps, grain, etc., was thrown about, and, a sufficient time after the Gardens were closed, to allow the little robbers to be busy on the food, wires, which had been early in the evening affixed to the hole coverings, and passed under the doors, were pulled, and a few two-footed and four-footed enemies entered and put the vermin to the rout. We always got "the tip" when one of these battles was coming off, and it was quite surprising the number of rats that were thus got rid of - close on a hundred of a night. Our dogs, from having been there so often, were well acquainted with the likeliest "points" for a rat to be found, and both "as keen as hawks" and jealous of each other "as parrots "; but I remember a Mackenzie River Dog, one of a rather interesting collection of dogs of various countries at the Gardens, and something like a small Rough-coated Collie out of coat, and with upright, bat-shaped, pricked, large ears, and a bushy tail carried in a curve and ending in a ring, was very smart at the rat killing. He was by no means an amiable animal, either with people or dogs; but on these occasions he was so keen to be one of the "storming party" that he was on his best behaviour, and would take no notice of anybody or anything, for fear it should cause his being ignominiously turned out!

I think in justice to the memory of the before-mentioned charming little friend Tip, who has long passed away, but whose life-like portrait, flanked by that of Lassie, his pal and comrade in many a lark, hangs near me while I write, I should say that of his many talents two were pre-eminent - inordinate love of the water and the possession of any kind of ball. If he was out with any one, and came within reasonable distance of water, he would, without any inducement being offered, plunge in and swim about on the off-chance of something being thrown for him to fetch, which would greatly delight him, however far it was from him, and he invariably succeeded in bringing it out in triumph, carrying any amount of water and showers of splashes in his train.