[ London Times ]
This newspaper, most correctly known simply as The Times, began publication in 1785 and continues to this day.
He's back.... J. S. Pardy, the intrepid and somewhat hucksterish Newfoundland dog seller of London returns to the Times on December 6, 1836, back at his Albany stables location (at least for the time being):
NEWFOUNDLAND DOGS, fancy Spaniels, and Sporting Dogs, etc. — SELLING OFF, at any price, the remaining STOCK; consisting of the grandest Mount St. Bernard dog in England, splendid Newfoundlands and whelps. . . . Shipping orders at half price. — Albany Stables, 14, Frederick-street, Osnaburgh-street, New Road. Letters free.
He placed another ad a week later in the December 14, 1836, edition of The Times:
NEWFOUNDLAND DOGS, Mastiffs, and fancy Spaniels, etc. — On SALE, FOUR of the most splendid young NEWFOUNDLANDS; they are of the very first class and character and merit great attention. Also a wonderfully fine gigantic Alpine mastiff. . . . — 14, Frederick-street, Albany-street, New-road. Letters free.
The next Pardy advertisement I've found is from the March 8, 1837, edition of The Times; he is back at his Southampton Mews address, and again he is offering Newfoundlands sired by "the great Bashaw":
HORSES and DOGS. — A gigantic and real ALPINE MASTIFF, direct from St. Bernard; some splendid sagacious young large Newfoundlands, bred from the Great Bashaw. . . . No. 2, Southampton-mews, Southampton-row, Bloomsbury.
His next advertisement (unless, as is quite possible, I missed something) did not appear until 8 months later, in the August 4, 1837 edition of The Times, again from his old Southampton Mews address. This ad repeats earlier claims about the ability of his sporting dogs to perform essential commands; the mention of Newfoundlands is, by Pardy's normal standards of grandiose rhetoric, rather sedate:
POINTERS, Setters, etc. — Just from Yorkshire, TEN BRACE of highly brokern POINTERS and SETTERS, fitting for the moors, warranted to back and stand, drop to hand, and bring their game; also some fine Retrievers, magnificent Newfoundlands, and gigantic Mastiffs. Country and shipping orders supplied. — No. 2 stables, Southampton-mews, Southampton-row, Russell-Square. Any trials allowed. Letters must be paid.
A similar ad appears on August 31, 1837; notable here is that this is the first ad in which our somewhat hucksterish dog seller identifies himself:
POINTERS, Setters, Retrievers, etc. — Mr. PARDY takes leave to announce to noblemen, gentlemen, and the sporting world generally, that he has on SALE an unrivalled COLLECTION of POINTERS and SETTERS, warranted to back and stand, drop to shot and hand. They have been selected from the choicest breeds in England, and cannot fail of satisfaction. Also magnificent Newfoundlands, Bloodhounds, Mastiffs, etc. — Stables, 2, Southampton-mews, Southampton-row, Russell-square.
A notice from the same seller, with the same address as the ad immediately above, appeared on November 23, 1837, offering "from St. John's, some splendid Newfoundlands, also a litter of whelps by the Giant Dog. . . ."
On May 23, 1838, Pardy, with a return to his customary hyperbole and from the same address as above, offers for sale one of the most magnificent Newfoundlands in the world:
HORSE and DOG. — On SALE, the largest, handsomest, and most magnificent NEWFOUNDLAND DOG in the world. He is a rich jet black, 18 months old, was got by the royal giant dog, and is broken to retrieve game. . . .
An ad published in the July 3, 1838 edition of The Times features just a routine claim about the Newfoundlands being sold, but adds an additional nugget of information regarding the seller: his first and middle initials:
POINTERS, Setters, Etc, warranted. — J. S. Pardy begs to inform the nobility, genry, and public, that he has on SALE his annual collection of SPORTING DOGS, selected from the best kennels. . . . Also some splendid Newfoundlands. . . . Southampton-mews, Southampton-row, Russell-square. Letters free.
An identically worded ad, with the same address, appeared two days later in The Times, July 5, 1838.
On July 11, 1838, a different sort of ad appears under J. S. Pardy's name, this one declaring that three men, whom he names, must come and take away their dog or they will be sold, and the men sued "for such monies as may remain due." Same address as above, no mention of any breeds.
Pardy's problems soon get worse than just a few dead-beat clients. He becomes involved in various legal troubles, such as the incidents noted below, as well as a lawsuit involveing an accusation that he is supplying libelous information to a gossip magazine, and later, in the early 1840s, he files for bankruptcy.
Pardy appears again, obliquely, in The Times of April 15, 1841, which carried a story about a man who had been sold a "grizzle-colored" Newfoundland that had been dyed black. When the man later discovered this, he sought out the seller and demanded his money back. The seller told him to go see "Mr. Pardy," from whom he had bought the dog. The buyer figured this was just a ruse and took the seller to court. The judge found the dog so impressive, regardless of color, that he dismissed the case, figuring the buyer had ended up with a very nice dog well worth what he paid for it.
In the edition of May 17, 1841, The Times carried another story which involved Pardy and a Newfoundland dog which had gotten lost. Pardy claimed to have the dog but would release it to the owner only for a fee, which the owner refused to pay. Pardy threatened to sell the dog, and the owner took him to court. You can find the full story here at The Cultured Newf; the "executive summary" is that Pardy assaulted someone who had been sent to his house to verify that it was the correct dog, and was fined.
Pardy will appear again in The Times as a seller of Newfoundlands in the following year; check out those advertisements here at The Cultured Newf.
The end of J. S. Pardy's career is not a happy tale, it seems. For a brief discussion of his later days — and yes, there's another Newfoundland connection — go to my J. S. Pardy page here at The Cultured Newf.