"First catch your hare," said the immortal Mrs. Glasse, who, after all, was not a lady but a certain Dr. John Hill. Very admirable advice, no doubt, to the cook, but not to the would-be dog-owner. Have your accommodation ready before you set out to buy a dog, and do not start with the premise that anything is good enough, unless you wish to make a bad mistake at the outset. Dogs are sensitive beings, liable to various ailments, and eager to reciprocate any kindness, so please make up your mind to do the thing properly if you are going to do it at all. The smaller breeds can be slept in a box supplied with a bed of straw or piece of carpet, in scullery or outhouse, but the bigger varieties cannot always live under a roof without inconvenience, and it becomes necessary to find them a special kennel. This need not be an elaborate affair where only one dog is under consideration, but it is obvious that if one purposes getting together a small team of sporting dogs something more extensive must be contemplated, unless one has a stable or barn with spare room.

I have no sympathy with the man who thinks that a barrel placed upon its side meets all requirements, provided it has a staple affixed to it to which a chain can be fastened. This is too primitive and rigorous a method of housing, even in the case of rough-coated, hardy breeds, and is quite unsuited for cold weather. While being no advocate of coddling, I am convinced that reasonable warmth and freedom from draughts and damp are essential to a dog's well-being, especially if he is pure bred and not merely a hardy mongrel ready for whatever the fates may send him. A roomy kennel, made of stout wood and covered outside with tarred felt, is not an expensive affair, and well repays for the making. In many cases it could be erected as a lean-to against a wall in a sunny and sheltered position. If so constructed as to have the entrance at the side, the inmate can curl himself up at one end, away from the cold winds. Half-way across I should have a removable board at least nine inches deep which would serve to keep the straw in its place and also act as a draught screen. It is of great advantage to have one side or end hinged so that the interior may be thoroughly cleaned without difficulty, and this may also be made to serve as an outer day bench in warm weather. If you contemplate breeding any puppies, to whom warmth is absolutely essential if they are to be reared, I should strongly advise having the inside of the kennel lined with cow-hair felt and boarded over again with thin match-boarding. You will then have as cosy a place as canine heart could desire.

The question next suggesting itself is: What do you propose doing with your dog in the daytime? If you think of chaining him up I beg you to pause a moment and consider if it is not possible to devise some more humane manner of confining him to a particular spot. If he cannot have free run of garden or yard, and I am quite aware that this is not always feasible, it will not cost you much money to enclose a small space with strong wire-netting, if you do not care to run to the more presentable kennel railings. A few square feet will give Ponto a sense of freedom that he will never experience at the end of a chain, and within that space you must have a wooden bench on which he can lie in fine weather, unless you adopt my suggestion as to a hinged end or side to the kennel itself.

Should it be a reader's intention to get together a small team of sporting dogs, and no easily converted brick building is available, a more ambitious erection is desirable, and a wooden structure twenty feet long, six feet in depth, and five feet six inches high at the eaves, well and solidly built, lined with cow-hair felt, and divided into four compartments, need not cost more than about £20, unless you live in a district where unusually high wages are paid. I am, of course, speaking of a lean-to. This should include double doors to each compartment, in order that the top half may be left open in the daytime and on summer nights. Add also a fair-sized hole with sliding door, as means of entrance and exit, ventilators to each kennel, and guttering to carry off the rain water, and you will be equipped with a small range that will last for years. Each kennel should have a removable bench, raised a few inches from the floor, and the interior should be lime-washed right through. Lest you tell me that I am understating the cost, I may as well say at once that I know of such a range of kennels, substantially built in every detail, and now practically as good as ever after ten years' use, the cost of which came within the figure named, although some of the estimates from rival carpenters were for more than double that sum. I may add that the range of kennels which is in my mind is completed with a fairly large concreted and cemented run, sloped gradually towards one end, for purposes of drainage. If you wish to breed dogs for show purposes a run of some description is necessary, and, if room permits, I would strongly urge the advisability of having separate accommodation for adults and puppies. In a work of this description, however, it would be beyond my plan to offer advice to any one proposing to go in for breeding extensively, as many details would be necessary that cannot be given in a limited space. Many experienced breeders prefer a gravel yard to concrete, but I imagine that this would come more expensive in the long-run, as it would be necessary to change the surface every few years. The main disadvantage of cement is that it is very cold and damp in rainy and wintry weather, and is not conducive to the well-being of young stock.

Supposing you wish to breed for show purposes, you will find it desirable to give much thought to the site and arrangement of your kennels, such things as a cooking-room, store-house for straw, hampers and collars, etc., having also to be taken into consideration. Whatever you do, make up your mind from the beginning to have plenty of room. My ideal kennels would have duplicate compartments, so that one could be used one week and the other the next. Over-crowding is fatal, especially when you have puppies about. Plenty of air space, ample ventilation, and scrupulous cleanliness will repay one a hundredfold. As regards the best soil, opinions differ. Frankly, I have no liking for clay, yet Beckford's most recent editor, Mr. J. Otho Paget, insists that kennels should never be built upon gravel, for the heat of the dogs' bodies will draw up the moisture from beneath. I imagine that a good concrete foundation would meet any such objection. One thing is quite obvious, you must shun any low-lying, damp locality, or all your best efforts will be doomed to disappointment, of which you will have ample in the ordinary course of events without going to meet it. A high situation then, if possible, facing south, in order that you may catch all the sunshine available. You will be well advised to get some large breeder to show you round his place, for, after all, there is nothing like a little practical demonstration to prevent you making bad mistakes. Every man has his own particular fad for increasing the comfort of his dogs or minimising labour.

Before closing this chapter, and coming back again to the one-dog man, I should like to say that I have no sympathy with the practice of allowing one's pet to sleep in the bed-room. This seems to me to be running contrary to all the rules of hygiene, and it is not a commendable habit.