The Our Dogs’ readers article was written by the Dutch gentleman W J Van der Werff of The Hague – see at right – who, exalting the modern Mastiff type as p ex ch Marc Antony’ son Black Anthony – see dark brindle at right - instead, preferred the so-called old type as a/o Am ch Minting’ brother Charlie Wood – see fawn at right – and the dogs of painter Gabriel. Born at Amsterdam 1828, Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriel became a member of ‘The Hague School of painters’. Mr PJC Gabriel resided at Brussels during the 1860s and died in ’03 at Scheveningen.

Archie Gander was a fawn born ’04 & bred by Mr Robt Leadbetter - out of Mother Goose unr sired by ch Hazlemere Archie – and owned by Mrs Helen Jonas of Cambridge; he got 2nd prizes at Darlington ’05 – cc for his uncle ch Czar Peter, and at Crystal Palace ’06 beaten by his other uncle Pinner Beau. Mr Van der Werff’ other favourite, the brindle Flex was born ’06 and bred by Mr George Cook out of Marton Kitty unr sired by Tom Bowling’ grandson Nuneaton Lion; two months after the publication of this article Felix got his 1st challenge award under Lt-Col Z Walker beating Mr Leadbetter’ ch Hazlemere Ronald. Felix got his other cc’s at Edinburgh ’09 under Mr Midgley Marsden and at Crufts ’10 under Mr Fred Gresham. Mr W J Van der Werff also states that Our Dogs ‘largely circulates’ on the continent; this canine journal was founded by Mr Theophilus Marples of Manchester in 1896.

The Crufts' catalogue 1907 mentions Huson, Mr J, London Road - Hertford Heath, No 185 Lady Hertford b May 4th 1904 out of Ap Dorothy sired by Ap Thomas. This must have been Mr John Huson born ‘50 at Great Amwell Herts who lived at 26 London Rd Hertford Heath. According to the census ’51 his father John Williams Huson was Watchman at East India College, and his son John became butler at Haileybury College. A source mentions – ‘John Huson came back to Hertfordshire in 1874 on an ‘Irishman' rise’ as Mr Jones called it , and has since been Common-room Butler for many years .’ Note – an Irishman’ rise being a reduction in pay. For many low-paid workers with children, an extra £2 a week may be no more than an 'Irishman' rise'. Another source – ‘Jenningsbury Farm owned by Mr John Huson’. Jenningsbury Farm lies along London Road Hertford Heath and is a listed partly-moated farm house set in approximately three acres of plantsman’ gardens within fifteen acres of ancient moat with extensive wild flower meadow beyond.

Haileybury College – see below -, formerly The East India College founded in 1806 as the training establishment for the Honourable East India Company which provided general & vocational education for young gentlemen of sixteen to eighteen years old who were nominated by its directors to writerships in the overseas civil service. In 1858, in the wake of the Indian Rebellion, the British government took over the administration of India and the college closed. The site was reopened in 1862 as Haileybury & Imperial Service College.

Mr Huson’ Hertford kennels are of breed historical interest through ch Nuneaton Helga bred by Mr John Huson out of his homebred Ap Dorothy sired by Ap Thomas, the latter bred by Cleveland man George Cook out of Marton Princess sired by ch Marksman’ brother Lord Stanley. Ch Nuneaton Helga became owned by Mr Wm Rylands b ‘54, publican of the Falstaff Inn – Rotherham, who bred from her Coatham Daisy sired by Mr G Cook’ ch Felix.

Coatham Daisy was purchased by Mr George Cook and, mated to Adam, she produced Willington Duchess, dam to Cleveland Princess who, mated to Count Willington, gave that famous stud Adamas who a/o sired ch Cleveland Premier & his brindle brother C- Chancellor; another Daisy litter, this time sired by Cleveland Leopold, contained ch Lightning & Thunderbolt, the latter sired Tilly Dunn, dam to Ashenhurst Duke who sired those famous Ashenhurst champions twin Cedric & Bernicea . There’s no picture of Nuneaton Helga on record but - above at left - Lady Colunio & - at right - Bellegrove Beauty sired by Colunia’ brother Wolfram ; both Colunia & Wolfram were strongly related to ch Nuneaton Helga having the same sire [Ap Thomas] and the same maternal grandsire [Mellnotte].

The attempt to stamp out rabies in Great Britain was an experiment undertaken by the government in the public interest. The principal means adopted were the muzzling of dogs in infected areas, and prolonged quarantine for imported animals. The efficacy of dog-muzzling in checking the spread of rabies and diminishing its prevalence has been repeatedly proved in various countries. Liable as other animals may be to the disease, in England at least the dog is pre-eminently the vehicle of contagion and the great source of danger to human beings. There is a difference of opinion on the way in which muzzling acts, though there can be none as to the effect it produces in reducing rabies. Probably it acts rather by securing the destruction of ownerless and stray which generally includes rabid dogs than by preventing biting; for though it may prevent snapping, even the wire-cage muzzle does not prevent furious dogs from biting, and it is healthy, not rabid, dogs that wear the muzzle.

It has therefore been suggested that a collar would have the same effect, if all collarless dogs were seized; but the evidence goes to show that it has not, perhaps because rabid dogs are more likely to stray from home with their collars, which are constantly worn, than with muzzles which are not, and so escape seizure. Moreover, it is much easier for the police to see whether a dog is wearing a muzzle or not than it is to make sure about the collar.

By the spring of 1899 that is, in two years the disease had disappeared in Great Britain, except for one area in Wales; and, with this exception, muzzling was everywhere relaxed in October 1899. It was taken off in Wales also in the following May, no case having occurred since November ‘99. Rabies was then pronounced extinct . During the summer of 1900, however, it reappeared in Wales, and several counties were again placed under the order. The year 1901 was the third in succession in which no death from hydrophobia was registered in the United Kingdom. In the ten years preceding 1899, 104 deaths were registered, the death-rate reaching 30 in 1880. According to KCSB data, the last Mastiff entries - before muzzling rules - owned by foreign fanciers, ie Mr Gerbrand Deetman of A’dam - The Netherlands, were at Birkenhead 1897, namely ch Mark Antony & Jonathan’ daughter Gladys.

Above - Ch Broomcourt Romeo’ paternal half brother Broomcourt John b Aug ’37 out of ch Cleveland Hugo’ dau Broomcourt Revival sired by Broomcourt Jem. Put up for sale in Our Dogs Xmas Supplement ‘39 by his owner Mr John Illingworth and described as – ‘big upstanding dark brindle - winner of two cc’s , good body , legs & feet , dark eye , correct with stop & muzzle such as few Mastiffs have to-day , good shower without trace of shyness’. Mr J Illingworth, of Croft House 36 High Street Brighouse nr Halifax, had owned four champions, ie Ashenhurst Cedric [b ’21 ~ ch Boadicea ex Ashenhurst Duke], Broomcourt Black Mask [b ’31 ~ ch Hellingly Ajax’ sis Arethrusa ex Cleveland Comedian ], Broomcourt Marcon [b ’34 ~ ch Broomcourt Comedienne ex ch Hellingly Marksman], and double Crufts winner Broomcourt Romeo [b ’34 ~ Broomcourt Tess ex Broomcourt Jem].

The author of the article, Mr William Leslie McCandlish b Edinburgh 1868-47, was KC Chairman between 1925-35 and famous breeder of Ems’ Scottish Terriers. He was the son of Mr John MacGregor McCandlish 1821–01, lawyer and first President of the Faculty of Actuaries. Mr William L McCandlish’ grandfather, William McCandlish of the Exchequer 1788-72, was Receiver General of Taxes for Scotland.