The following valuable article was written especially for tin's book by Mr. Fred Jacobi, Proprietor of the Woodbine Kennels, Lowell, Mich.:

In view of the fact that "Man's Best Friend," the dog, has proven himself the most faithful of all animals, accepting with good grace such care as may be bestowed upon him, whether it be from the hands of the rich whose home is surrounded with everything that is beautiful and luxurious, or the poor wandering tramp who can only afford to divide the few crumbs that he is able to beg or steal, to this ever true companion should be granted the privilege and pleasure of a place that he may know is his home.

The kennel raised dog has not the liberties and pleasures of the ordinary house dog, and to him more attention should be given as to his home and surroundings that he may thrive well and be in fit condition to be seen at all times. No dog can present a good appearance if he is brought up from puppyhood in a cellar or old sheds, cramped quarters and foul surroundings, with a dozen mates to join in the miserable life, as is often done by some breeders. It is no wonder that these dogs are always out of condition, loaded with skin diseases which Infest such places. Many men would gladly give their dogs a better home and have surroundings more comfortable, yet they have been at a loss how to construct a kennel that would be best adapted for the dog's welfare. In this article I have tried to get a thorough description of a "model kennel" well suited for the convenience of twenty-five dogs, and as many more puppies. These plans are not imaginary, but exhibited at the Woodbine Kennels, Lowell, Mich., where visitors are always welcome.

First should be considered the location. This should be high and dry soil, a side hill will give the best results so that excessive rains will not form pools of water in the kennel yard. Select your site and stake it off ten rods square. Get cedar posts nine feet long, set them in the ground three feet, one rod apart, taking special care that corner posts are firmly anchored. Dig a trench from post to post eighteen inches deep. Next get some No. 12 galvanized wire, lay this in trench and staple to each post, drawn tight with wire stretcher. After this wire is drawn tight all around the yard at bottom of trench, then start the second wire just two inches above the lower wire, then the third, and so on until you have nine rows of wire two Inches apart. Next throw the earth into the trench, leaving the top wire exposed. By taking this precaution you may rest assured that your dogs will never trouble you by digging out of the kennel yard. Now get forty rods of good, reliable kennel fencing, which should be six feet high, and a two-inch mesh. Fasten to posts firmly, the lower wire meeting the top wire nreviously fastened from post to post.

The foundation of kennel building should be next to be considered, this should be of stone, 18 inches thick and three or four feet high, 16x60, will furnish ample room. Have opening at each end of wall, 2x3 feet, to allow dogs to run in during hot days or stormy weather. Next lay the joists. then the studding, which should be six or seven feet high. Have good pitch to roof. Before putting on siding or shingling, get some good building paper, covering all sides and roof. For this purpose there is nothing finer made than "Cabot's" sheathing, a superior building paper, two lavers of paper between which is woven eel grass 1/4 inch in thickness. This paper will keep out heat as well as cold, is germ proof and can not burn on account of the salty nature of the lining. Place this on roof boards before shingling if a thorough iob is wanted. Next put on your siding. Have three windows on each side. 30x60, two sash that will slide by each other, much handier than ones that raise. Have door at each end of kennel. Have a brick chimney built at each end of kennel. In summer time you can use chimney in cook room with short length of pipe; in the cold weather you can run stove pipe the full length of building to other chimney, which will warm up the interior at no greater expense while the food is being cooked. Next put up a partition at each end of building, 10x16, one to be used for cook and wash room, the other for office. The floor in the Wash room should be built on a slant to allow all water to run away freely. You will now have a space of forty feet between office and cook room which will be used for kennels or stalls for the dogs as follows: On each side of building from office to cook room make a solid bin or box of matched flooring three feet high and four feet wide; the frame work of this stall should be of two-inch strips, one inch thick, have them cut three and four feet long, nail firmly at corner one of each size; this will form a square; now draw a line from one end of room to other on each side near wall, this will line up your frame work perfectly. Nail one end of frame to each studding, the other corner to floor, now proceed to put on your matched flooring. Nail front solid, the top should be en hinge to get at dogs and clean out easily, so only nail firmly the two first boards near wall, then have balance of top work on hinge. Now divide this long stall in small compartments by placing a partition of matched flooring at every second studding or four feet, studding being two feet apart; have top sawed across every four feet so that each stall will have a separate door at top, which will give you ten separate stalls on each side. Now have an opening cut through siding, 12x18, for a door in each stall; have this at one end of each stall instead of centre, as your dogs can lay away from doorway in case of heavy winds or hot or cold weather. In winter weather for day protection have a common grain sack or carpet tacked on inside over door to keep out cold and severe drafts. For night protection a dog should have even more than this for a dog, like the human being enjoys comfort at night. For this purpose the simplest and best method is to have a sliding door on outside. This should be made of matched flooring four inches wider and longer than the opening, and have this door made so it will slide easily up and down by placing a screw eye on top to which is fastened a good heavy cord, having this pass up and over a pulley through a hole in building, so that door can be raised or lowered at will from each side of building. After the stalls are made you will have a large room, 40 feet long and 8 feet wide, where you can keep a sick dog or bitches in season, or use it as a store room for crates, etc. One side of the kennel and yard should be kept for matured dogs, the other for puppies and bitches In season or for bitches with pups. In order to protect the pups and bitches in season, get some wire fencing and divide off one side of kennel yard same as their stalls, nail one end of fencing firmly to building or to a post set at building and have this fencing go straight out to a post at fencing which composes your main kennel fence. This will give you ten separate yards that are four feet wide and about forty feet long, sufficient for the puppies until they are old enough to go in the main yard with the matured dogs. Bitches kept in an enclosure like this are absolutely safe from stray stud dogs, neither can they get out, as has been the source of much annoyance to many owners of bitches in season. Do not neglect to place eve troughs on building, have a large tank to catch the water so that you may always have a good supply of soft water for washing the dogs. The handiest tub to wash dogs in is made of clear pine boards 14 in. wide, 6 feet long. Make box tight and paint it. With a box like this you can work all around your dogs in washing. Place this tub near tank, have tank elevated so that after washing you can give the dog a good rinsing from tank which should have a faucet and short piece of hose at bottom. Remember that the kennel yard should be plowed up or spaded over once a month; thi3 will keep the soil in a sweet and sanitary condition. Do not forget that a dog likes to lay under the spreading branches of a shade tree, and that it will add to their comfort to have a generous amount set in the yard as well as a row around it. For this purpose there is not a handsomer or more thrifty fast-growing, tree than the Carolina poplar, not the tall, lanky Lombard poplar, which is an eye sore and nuisance. The Carolina poplars can be secured from any nursery at from 15 to 25 cents each when ten feet high; these will make large trees in three years. The kennel yard would mot be complete without a good pump and well so that the dogs can have fresh water several times each day. An earthen dish of good size is best for this, and have it sunk in ground to keep water cool. If convenience is wanted and small expense not objected to it would be well to have a one-inch pipe run from pump to each of the yards leading to each dish; at the pump you could have a connection that would fill each dish independently or fill all at one time; this would avoid the bother of carrying water in pail to each dish.

If you follow the plans as set forth above, I know you will have a kennel that will suit you in every detail and one which will be a pleasure to your best friends, "the dog." Should you at any time wish any further advice on this subject, I will be only too pleased to assist you in any way possible, knowing it will benefit the kind, dumb creature who gives his master worlds of pleasure and is ever faithful, be he the companion of the rich or poor.