In buying a dog, first be sure that you are dealing with some recognized breeder who will not send a dog C. O. D., and you will always get a dog just as represented. No legitimate breeder or dealer can afford to act any way but fair and square with you, as it would get him into serious trouble with the American Kennel Club, and for wrong doing he would be punished and disqualified, which means that he could not exhibit any of his dogs at any Bench Show held under their rules, nor could he register any of his dogs in their stud book while disqualified. So you can see how safe you are in buying a dog and sending your money on in advance, if you are sure first that you are dealing with a breeder of note and reputation, as you are protected by the American Kennel Club of New York.

Very few legitimate breeders will ship a dog C. O. D. for many good and sufficient reasons. It is harder on the dog, as coming collect, he necessarily has to go through a lot of red tape business, and this delays his delivery in most every instance, going from train to uptown city office, a delay here of course to check up and fix way bills, books, etc., and generally then delivered after all this delay by another wagon.

Select a good breeder to buy from and write him for a full description in detail as to all points of the dog and its price, then send him a money order or draft for the dog with orders to ship on the guarantee that the dog is to be exactly as described and represented. Now, when you get him - after he feels at home, recovered from his trip, and acts and looks himself - then compare dog with description you have had, and my word for it your dog will fill the bill.

If dissatisfied for any cause don't be hasty about returning him, but wait a day or two, give the dog a chance to rest up, taking good care of him meanwhile, and then write to the dealer, and he can, and will, no doubt, straighten the matter up so that you are satisfied. Unless the buyer is a judge of the breed ordered (which the seller is), it might happen that as good or even a better specimen had been sent than was promised, and yet not come up to the expectations of the buyer according to his erroneous ideas, or, it didn't "look like Mr. So-and-So's dog," etc., and here is the chance for the seller to explain and put you right, as to what constitutes a good and correct specimen, which is really what you want, only you don't know it. These are rare cases, of course, the exception and not the rule. Bench shows are educating people on dogs, and a good many could now fairly judge the dog they had ordered.

Always go to headquarters to buy anything, and here I want to say a few words as to buying a dog from bird stores. They are, as a rule, a poor place to buy a dog - a much better place to buy a bird or bird seed.

Being only dealers and only having a scant general idea of dogs, the dealer may be honest enough, yet deceive his customer as to a dog, simply because the seller fooled him when he bought the dog to sell again. This is often the case in a bird store buying a litter of puppies. They look cute as puppies, but often turn out to be curs when grown up, because the mother of them had a mishap, got out, and was bred to some outside dog of another breed, so the owner packs them up in a basket and sells them for almost any price to the bird store. He puts them in his window at a price lower than the genuine article could be sold for; people see them - they look cute - you buy one, thinking you got a great bargain. You raise this puppy and, of course, become attached to it, but gradually it develops into a common cur, and you are competed to apollogize for your pet when your friends visit you. "Silk is never sold for the price of calico. All fine bred animals cost more because they are harder to raise. Always be willing to pay a fair price for a good one. Buy of legitimate breeders and you'll get the worth of your money.