COLOUR—­Tail rather long and with low carriage.  Skin fine and supple.  Hair thin and glossy like satin.  Preferably self-coloured.  The colour most prized is golden fawn, but all shades of fawn—­red, mouse, cream and white—­are recognised.  Blacks, brindles and pied are considered less desirable.  ACTION—­High stepping and free.  WEIGHT—­Two classes, one of 8 lb. and under, the other over 8 lb.

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The diminutive Shetland Sheepdog has many recommendations as a pet.  Like the sturdy little Shetland pony, this dog has not been made small by artificial selection.  It is a Collie in miniature, no larger than a Pomeranian, and it is perfectly hardy, wonderfully sagacious, and decidedly beautiful.  At first glance the dog might easily be mistaken for a Belgian Butterfly dog, for its ears are somewhat large and upstanding, with a good amount of feather about them; but upon closer acquaintance the Collie shape and nature become more pronounced.

The body is long and set low, on stout, short legs, which end in long-shaped, feathered feet.  The tail is a substantial brush, beautifully carried, and the coat is long and inclined to silkiness, with a considerable neck-frill.  The usual weight is from six to ten pounds, the dog being of smaller size than the bitch.  The prettiest are all white, or white with rich sable markings, but many are black and tan or all black.  The head is short and the face not so aquiline as that of the large Collie.  The eyes are well proportioned to the size of the head, and have a singularly soft round brightness, reminding one of the eye of a woodcock or a snipe.

The Shetlanders use them with the sheep, and they are excellent little workers, intelligent and very active, and as hardy as terriers.  Dog lovers in search of novelty might do worse than take up this attractive and certainly genuine breed.

CHAPTER XLIX

PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT

Many people are deterred from keeping dogs by the belief that the hobby is expensive and that it entails a profitless amount of trouble and anxiety; but to the true dog-lover the anxiety and trouble are far outbalanced by the pleasures of possession, and as to the expense, that is a matter which can be regulated at will.  A luxuriously appointed kennel of valuable dogs, who are pampered into sickness, may, indeed, become a serious drain upon the owner’s banking account, but if managed on business principles the occupation is capable of yielding a very respectable income.  One does not wish to see dog-keeping turned into a profession, and there seems to be something mean in making money by our pets; but the process of drafting is necessary when the kennel is overstocked, and buying and selling are among the interesting accessories of the game, second only to the pleasurable excitement of submitting one’s favourites to the judgment of the show-ring.  The delights of breeding and rearing should be their own reward, as they usually are, yet something more than mere pin-money can be made by the alert amateur who possesses a kennel of acknowledged merit, and who knows how to turn it to account.  A champion ought easily to earn his own living:  some are a source of handsome revenue.