Page:The power of the dog.djvu/119

 the coat should be profuse. Altogether you want a big dog in a small compass.

Bearing in mind the long ancestry of the Pekingese, the many centuries through which he has been the spoilt child of fortune in that inscrutable land whence he comes, it should not be a difficult matter to maintain the type in its correctitude, but critics are already complaining of the introduction of undesirable features, such as long legs, flat sides, and so on. I have on other occasions pointed out that the true toy at his best should not be merely a weed. Nearly anyone can get a light dog if he is bred from indifferent parents, and subjected to semi-starvation during the growing period. The real enthusiast, however, is not satisfied with such a miserable travesty, and people who buy Pekingese as pets should insist upon having those that have plenty of bone, and are sturdily put together. The expert is not likely to be misled by these aptly called "flat-catchers." It is the novice who is to blame by creating the demand for a tiny specimen, without regard for his make and shape.