Whippets Playing with a Ball circa 1860

A Fine pair of Whippets playing with a ball circa 1860 in very nice order name on base is Falkirk .The original sculpture was by Pierre-Jules Mene(25th March 1810-20thth May 1879 ) a French Sculptor and animaliere. He is considered one of the pioneers of animal sculpture in the nineteeth-century .The original would have been created in the 1850,s ,castings such as this in the Les Animoux /Anamaliers style were produced in the 1860,s by the Falkirk Iron Company and at Coalbrookdale .
Look at the fine detail of the casting and the quality of the workmanship in this one and this one is made from cast iron !
I came about this one from Antique Center in Cumbria UK they thought because it was cast iron it was a reproduction and of no great value how wrong they are .