Page:The power of the dog.djvu/94

 its purity the small bulldog which was common enough in the sixties. The task presented so many obstacles that surely none but ladies, with all the enthusiasm and perseverance of their sex, would have ventured upon it. Lady Kathleen Pilkington and Mrs. Carlo F. C. Clarke, staunch from the beginning, are still pursuing their object with admirable pertinacity, and, what is more, they are succeeding in converting the scoffers to the view that a miniature edition of the big dog is a possibility. Every year the type is improving, and the dreadful unsoundness that was at first so common is being extinguished. Miniature bulldogs can now walk instead of crawl, and the backs are better, although we still meet some that dip too much behind the shoulders. Early experiences almost warranted the taunt: "Thou call'dst me dog before thou hadst a cause," a taunt which is no longer justified.

No one will pretend that the miniature bulldog is good for anything other than companionship. He could not throw an ox if we wished to set him to such barbarous work, but if we want an inmate of the house of manageable size and reasonable proportions, with the looks and attributes of a larger animal, we have one ready at hand. They are not easy to breed. If they were, half the interest in the pursuit would vanish at once, for most of the pleasure in a hobby consists in having some obstacle to overcome. Lady Kathleen Pilkington once wrote: "To cultivate them has been an intense interest, and a very great pleasure, for