of being born a female. Therefore, no pet-seeker wanted to buy
her. Even when she was offered for sale at half the sum asked for
her less handsome brothers, no one wanted her.

A mare--or the female of nearly any species except the canine--
brings as high and as ready a price as does the male. But never
the female dog. Except for breeding, she is not wanted.

This prejudice had its start in Crusader days, some thousand
years ago. Up to that time, all through the civilized world, a
female dog had been more popular as a pet than a male. The
Mohammedans (to whom, by creed, all dogs are unclean) gave their
European foes the first hint that a female dog was the lowest
thing on earth.

The Saracens despised her, as the potential mother of future
dogs. And they loathed her accordingly. Back to Europe came the
Crusaders, bearing only three lasting memorials of their contact
with the Moslems. One of the three was a sneering contempt for
all female dogs.

There is no other pet as loving, as quick of wit, as loyal, as
staunchly brave and as companionable as the female collie. She
has all the male's best traits and none of his worst. She has
more in common, too, with the highest type of woman than has any
other animal alive. (This, with all due respect to womanhood.)

Prejudice has robbed countless dog-lovers of the joy of owning
such a pal. In England the female pet dog has at last begun to
come into her own. Here she has not. The loss is ours.