. The dogs of the British Islands, being a series of articles on the points of their various breeds, and the treatment of the diseases to which they are subject. Dogs. 192 THE DOGS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. THE BOB-TAILED SHEEPDOG. Until within the last half-century sheepdogs without tails were exempt from taxation, it being supposed that no one would keep a tailless dog who covdd afford to pay the tax. As a consequence, almost every sheepdog had his tail cut off, and owing to this cause the tailless sheepdog, still met with in some localities, is supposed to have arisen. Bob-tailed pointers, ho
. The dogs of the British Islands, being a series of articles on the points of their various breeds, and the treatment of the diseases to which they are subject. Dogs. 192 THE DOGS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. THE BOB-TAILED SHEEPDOG. Until within the last half-century sheepdogs without tails were exempt from taxation, it being supposed that no one would keep a tailless dog who covdd afford to pay the tax. As a consequence, almost every sheepdog had his tail cut off, and owing to this cause the tailless sheepdog, still met with in some localities, is supposed to have arisen. Bob-tailed pointers, however, were at one time not uncommon, though their tails never were cut short, fashion only leading to their being cropped to the same extent as our fox terriers and spaniels, among whom I never heard of a bob-tailed strain. It is far more probable that the bob is derived from a cross with the bulldog, which is subject to the natm-al loss of tail in a greater or less degree, and was probably used to give courage to the pointer, as was known to be done with the greyhound, and also to the drover's dog, to which class the " bob-tails " belong, rather than to the sheepdogs. Usually these " bobs " are strongly made and symmetrical dogs, but without any definite type ; they have frequently a tendency to the brindle colour, which favours the theory of the derivation of short tails from the bulldog, though it cuts equally against a similar derivation in the pointer, in whom the brindle is absolutely unknown. Not being able to arrive at any definite type of the " bob-tail," I shall not attempt to describe him. He has the peculiar habit of running over the backs of sheep when in flock in order to head them, and on that account is highly valued for fairs and markets. CHAPTER II. THE POMERANIAN OR SPITZ DOG; ALSO CALLED LOUP-LOUP. ITHIN the last twenty years this dog has been largely imported from Germany and France, in addition to those bred in this country;
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Keywords: ., bookauthorwalsh, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectdogs
