Photos by Walt Chandoha
Like all lap dogs, blunt-faced pug a synonym for ugly is sitting pretty as a pet.
ts a small
(dog) aoi'lc!
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J . . . A . "4 ... 1 ryn. ' '.
fx.--
Maltese dogs are so small they were once carried
in sleeves by fashionable ladies in Great Britain.
-Mmd til &f
Built low for com
fort, dachshunds
rank high as pets.
One of oldest breeds known, beagle has since
become most popular. This mighty mite is king.
It's a doggone shame about big dogs.
German shepherds work brilliantly with
the police, the Army, and the blind. Box
ers are fearless and faithful watchdogs.
Collies are beautiful, affectionate, and de
voted. Bloodhounds track down criminals.
St. Bernards find lost travelers.
All of them are bold and courageous,
and some of them (including Lassie and
Rin Tin Tin) are on television. Yet in any
popularity contest they aren't even a poor
second to the smallest, mildest lap dog.
The little beagle is still a regal No. 1 in
the pet parade. The Chihuahua , smallest
dog of all, is a timid No. 2. Poodles, which
couldn't be more fragile, and dachshunds,
which couldn't be much lower, are fighting
(with dignity) for No. 3. In fact, seven of
the top ten dogs are lap-size or smaller,
i
and many more underslung canines, such
as toy fox terriers (see cover) and others
pictured here, are barking for and get
ting considerable attention as pets.
Why? Statistics could probably be of
fered to prove almost anything about dogs
including the claim that big dogs are
really more popular but the fact remains
that, in spite of television, small dogs today
are as popular as at any time in history.
They require less space, they're easier to
care for, and as one budget-minded house
wife growled, "They don't eat as much."
Whatever the reasons, in this dog-eat-dog
world of ours, small dogs are more
than holding their own. Despite their size,
their hearts are as big as the biggest, and
their capacity for devotion as limitless as
that of the largest dog ever whelped.
American-bred Boston ter
rier is a bug-eyed lapful.
10
romily Weekly. January 4, 1959