 Chapter thirty-one of Dogs and All About Them. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Dogs and All About Them by Robert Layton. Chapter thirty-one. The Bull Terrier. The Bull Terrier is now a gentlemanly and respectively owned dog, wearing an immaculate white coat and a burnished silver collar. He has dealings with aristocracy and is no longer condemned for keeping bad company. But a generation or two ago, he was commonly the associate of rogues and vagabonds, skulking at the heels of such members of society as Mr. William Sykes, whom he accompanied at night on dogs and business to keep watch outside while Bill was within, cracking the crib. In those days the dogs' ears were closely cropped, not for the sake of embellishment, but as a measure of protection against the fangs of his opponent in the pit, when money was laid upon the result of a well-fought fight to the death. For fighting was the acknowledged vocation of his order, and he was bred and trained to the work. He knew something of rats, too, and many of his kind were famed in the land for their prowess in this direction. Jimmy Shaw's Jacko could finish off 60 rats in three minutes, and on one occasion made a record by killing a thousand in a trifle over an hour and a half. The breed is sufficiently modern to leave no doubt as to its derivation. In the first quarter of the 19th century, attention was being directed to the improvement of terriers, generally, and new types were sought for. There were alert, agile little dogs, excellent for work in the country, but the extravagant Corinthians of the time, the young game-sters who patronized the prize ring and the cockpit, desired to have a dog who should do something more than kill rats, or unearth the fox, or bolt the otter, which accomplishments afforded no amusement to the town. They wanted a dog combining all the dash and gameness of the terrier with the heart and courage and fighting instinct of the bulldog. Wherefore, the terrier and the bulldog were crushed. A large type of terrier was chosen, and this would be the smooth-coated black-and-tan or the early English white terrier, but probably both were used indifferently and for a considerable period. The result gave the young bucks what they required, a dog that was at once a determined vermin killer and an intrepid fighter, upon whose skill in the pit wagers might with confidence be laid. The animal, however, was neither a true terrier nor a true bulldog, but an uncompromising mongrel. Albeit, he served his immediate purpose and was highly valued for his virginity, if not for his appearance. In 1806, Slot Camelford possessed one for which he had paid the very high prize of 84 guineas and which he presented to Belcher, the pugilist. This dog was figured in the sporting magazine of the time. He was a short-legged, thick-set, fawn-coloured specimen with closely amputated ears, a broad, blunt muzzle and a considerable layback. And this was the kind of dog which continued for many years to be known as the bull and terrier. He was essentially a man's dog and was vastly in favour among the undergraduates of Oxford and Cambridge. Gradually, the bulldog element, at first pronounced, was reduced to something like a fourth's degree and, with the terrier character predominating, the head was sharpened, the limbs were lengthened and straightened until little remained of the bulldog's train, but the dauntless heart and the fearless fighting spirit, together with the frequent reversion to brindle colouring, which was the last outward and visible characteristic to appear. Within the remembrance of men not yet old, the bull terrier was as much marked with fawn, brindle or even black as are the fox terriers of our own period. But fifty years or so ago, white was becoming frequent and was much admired. A strain of pure white was bred by James Hinks, a well-known dog dealer of Birmingham and it is no doubt to Hinks we are indebted for the elegant bull terrier of the type that we know today. These Birmingham dogs showed a refinement and grace and an absence of the crook legs and coloured patches which betrayed that Hinks had been using an outcross with the English white terrier, thus getting away further still from the bulldog. With the advent of the Hinks strain in 1862, the short-faced dog fell into disrepute and pure white became the accepted colour. There was a wide latitude in the matter of weight. If all other points were good, a dog might weigh anything between 10 and 38 pounds but classes were usually divided for those above and those below 16 pounds. The type became fixed and it was ruled that the perfect bull terrier must have a long head, wide between the ears, level jaws, a small black eye, a large black nose, a long neck, straight forelegs, a small hair foot, a narrow chest, deep brisket, powerful loin, long body, a tail set and carried low, a fine coat and small ears well hung and dropping forward. End quote. It Stone, who wrote this description in 1872, earnestly insisted that the ears of all dogs should be left uncut and as nature made them. But for 20 years thereafter, the ears of the bull terrier continued to be cropped to a thin, erect point. The practice of cropping, it is true, was even then illegal and punishable by law. But although there were occasional convictions under the Cruelty to Animals Act, the dog owners who admired the alertness and perkiness of the cut year ignored the risk they ran and it was not until the Kennel Club took resolute action against the practice that cropping was entirely abandoned. The president of the Kennel Club, Mr. S. E. Shirley, MP, had himself been a prominent owner and breeder of the bull terrier. His Nelson, bred by Joe Willock, was celebrated as an excellent example of the small sized terrier at a time, however, when there were not a great many competitors of the highest quality. His dick, also, was a remarkably good dog. Earlier specimens which have left their names in the history of the breed were Hings's old touch, who was, perhaps, even a more perfect terrier than the same breeders Madman and Puss. Lancashire and Yorkshire have always been noted for good bull terriers and the best of the breed have usually been produced in the neighbourhoods of Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, Bolton and Liverpool, while Birmingham also shared in the reputation. At one time Londoners gave careful attention to the breed, stimulated there too by the encouragement of Mr. Shirley and the success of Alfred George. Of recent years the bull terrier has not been a great favourite and thus sadly deteriorated in type, but there are signs that the variety is again coming into repute and within the last two years many admirable specimens, as nearly perfect, perhaps as many that one honour and former generations, have been brought into prominence. Among dogs, for example, there are Mr. E. T. Pym's sweet lavender, Dr. M. Amslur's MacRigger, Mr. Chris Hawker's His Highness and Mr. J. Haynes's Bloomsbury Young King. Among bitches there are Mrs. Kipping's Delphinium Wild and Desdemona, Mr. Hornbuyer's Lady Sweetheart, Mr. W. Mayer's Mill Girl, Mr. T. Ganaway's Charlewood Bell, Dr. J. W. Lowe's Best of Hardwick and Mrs. E. G. Money's Easterburn Tarquinia. While these and such as these beautiful and typical terriers are being bred and exhibited, there is no cause to fear a further decline in popularity for a variety so eminently engaging. The club description is as follows. General appearance. The general appearance of the bull terrier is that of a symmetrical animal, the embodiment of agility, grace, elegance and determination. Head. The head should be long, flat and wide between the ears, tapering to the nose without cheek muscles. There should be a slight indentation down the face without a stop between the eyes. The jaws should be long and very powerful with a large black nose and open nostrils. Eyes small and very black, almond shape preferred. The lips should meet as tightly as possible without a fold. The teeth should be regular in shape and should meet exactly. Any deviation such as big jaw or being underhung is a great fault. Ears. The ears, when cropped, should be done scientifically and according to fashion. Cropped ducks cannot win a prize at shows held under kennel club rules if born after March 31st, 1895. When not cropped, it should be a semi erect ear, but others do not disqualify. Neck. The neck should be long and slightly arched, nicely set into the shoulders, tapering to the head without any loose skin, as found in the bulldog. Shoulders. The shoulders should be strong, muscular and slanting, chest wide and deep, with ribs well rounded. Back. The back short and muscular, but not out of proportion to the general contour of the animal. Legs. The forelegs should be perfectly straight, with well-developed muscles. Not out at shoulder, but set on the raising lines and very strong at the pastern joints. The hind legs are long and in proportion to the forelegs, muscular with good strong straight hocks well let down near the ground. Feet. The feet should resemble those of a cat than a hare. Colour should be white. Coat, short, close and stiff to the touch with a fine gloss. Tail, short in proportion to the size of the dog, set on very low down, thick where it joins the body and tapering to a fine point. It should be carried at an angle of about 45 degrees without curl and never over the back. Height at shoulders from 12 to 18 inches. Weight from 15 pounds to 50 pounds. End of Chapter 31. Chapter 32 of Dogs and All About Them. This is the LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Dogs and All About Them by Robert Layton. Chapter 32. The Smooth Fox Terrier. To attempt to set forth the origin of the fox terrier, as we know him today, would be of no interest to the gentle reader, and would entail the task of tracing back the several heterogeneous sources from which he sprang. It is a matter of very little moment whether he owes his origin to the white English terrier or to the bull terrier crossed with the black in tan, or whether he has a mixture of beagle blood in his composition, so it will suffice to take him as he emerged from the chaos of Mongreldom about the middle of the last century, rescued in the first instance by the desire of huntsmen or masters of well-known packs to produce a terrier somewhat in keeping with their hounds. And, in the second place, to the advent of dog shows. Prior to that time, any dog capable, from his size, conformation and pluck, of going to ground and bolting his fox was a fox terrier, where he'd rough or smooth, black, brown or white. The starting point of the modern fox terrier dates from about the six days, and no pedigrees before that are worth considering. From three dogs then well-known, Old Jock, Trap and Tartar, he claims dissent, and, thanks to the fox terrier club and the great gear taken in compiling their start books, he can be brought down to today. Of these three dogs, Old Jock was undoubtedly more of a terrier than the others. It is a moot point whether he was bred, as stated in most records of the time, by Captain Percy Williams, Master of the Rufford, or by Jack Morgan, Huntsman to the Grove. It seems, however, well-established of the former own desire, also called Jock, and that his damn Grove Pepper was a property of Morgan. He first came before the public at the Birmingham Show in 1862, where, shown by Mr. Wooten of Nottingham, he won first prize. He subsequently changed hands several times, so he became the property of Mr. Murchison, in whose hands he died in the early seventies. He was exhibited for the last time at the Crystal Palace in 1870, and though then over ten years old, one second to the same owner's trimmer. At his best he was a smart, well-balanced terrier, with perhaps too much daylight under him, and wanting somewhat in jaw power. But he showed far less of the bull terrier type than did his contemporary tar tar. This dog's antecedents were very questionable, and his breeder is given as Mr. Stevenson of Chester, most of whose dogs were bull terriers pure and simple, save that they had dropiers and short turns, being, in this respect, unlike Old Strap, whose sire was generally supposed to have been a black-and-tan terrier. This dog came from the Oakley kennels, and he was supposed to have been bred by a miller at Leicester. However questionable the antecedents of these three terriers may have been, they are undoubtedly the progenitors of our present strain, and from them arose the kennels that we have today. Mention has been made of Mr. Murchison, and to him we owe in a great measure the starge in popularity, which since the foundation of his large kennel, the Fox Terrier has enjoyed. Mr. Murchison's chief opponents in the early 70s were Mr. Gibson of Brockenhurst, with his dog Stike and Old Foyler, Mr. Luke Turner of Leicester with his bell-wire strain, which later gave us Champion Brockenhurst, Joe, Champion Olive, and her son, Champion Spice, Mr. Theodore Bassett, Mr. Allison, and a year or so later, Mr. Frederick Burbage, the Meziers Clark, Mr. Ten, Mr. Francis Redmond, and Mr. Vickery. About this time a tremendous impetus was given to the breed by the formation in 1876 of the Fox Terrier Club, which owed its inception to Mr. Harding Cox and a party of enthusiasts seated round his dinner table at 36 Russell Square, among whom were Meziers Bassett, Burbage, Doyle, Allison, and Redmond, the last two named being still members of the club. The idea was very warmly welcomed, a committee formed, and a scale of points drawn up, which, with but one alteration, is in vogue today. Every prominent exhibitor or breeder then, and with few exceptions since, has been a member, and the club is, by far, the strongest of all specialist clubs. It will be well to give here the set standard of points. Head and Ears. The skull should be flat and moderately narrow and gradually decreasing in width to the eyes. Not much stop should be apparent, but there should be more dip in the profile between the forehead and top jaw than is seen in the case of a greyhound. The cheeks must not be full. The ears should be V-shaped and small of moderate thickness and dropping forward close to the cheek, not hanging by the side of the head and the cheek's hounds. The jaw, upper and under, should be strong and muscular, should be of fair punishing strength, but not so in any way to resemble the greyhound or modern English terrier. There should not be much falling away below the eyes. This part of the head should, however, be moderately chiseled out so as not to go down in a straight line like a ridge. The nose, towards which the muzzle must gradually taper, should be black. The eyes should be dark in colour, small and rather deep set, full of fire, life and intelligence, as nearly as possible circular in shape. The teeth should be as nearly as possible level, that is, the upper teeth on the outside of the lower teeth. Neck should be clean and muscular without dirtiness or fair length and gradually widening to the shoulders. Shoulders and chest. The shoulders should be long and sloping, well laid back, fine at the points and clearly cut at the withers. The chest, deep and not broad. Back and loin. The back should be short, straight and strong with no appearance of slackness. The loin should be powerful and very slightly arched. The fore ribs should be moderately arched. The back ribs, deep and the dog should be well ribbed up. Hind quarters should be strong and muscular, quite free from droop or crouch. The thighs, long and powerful. Hocks near the ground. The dog standing well up on them like a fox hand and not straight in the stifle. Stern should be set on rather high and carried gaily, but not over the back or curled. It should be of good strength, anything approaching a pipe-stopper tail being especially objectionable. Legs and feet. The legs viewed in any direction must be straight, showing little or no appearance of an ankle and front. They should be strong in bone throughout, short and straight to pasturn. Both fore and hind legs should be carried straight forward in travelling. The stifles not turned outwards. The elbows should hang perpendicular to the body, working free of the side. The feet should be round, compact and not large. The soles hard and tough. The toes moderately arched and turned neither in nor out. Coat should be straight, flat, smooth, hard, dense and abundant. The belly and underside of the thighs should not be bare. As regards colour, white should predominate. Brindle, red or liver markings are objectionable. Otherwise, this point is of little or no importance. Symmetry, size and character. The dog must present a general gay, lively and active appearance. Bone and strength in a small compass are essentials, but this must not be taken to mean that a fox terrier should be cloggy or in any way chorus. Speed and endurance must be looked to as well as power and the symmetry of the foxhound taken as a model. The terrier, like the hound, must on no account be leggy, nor must he be too short in the leg. He should stand like a cleverly made hunter. Covering a lot of ground, yet with a short back, as before stated. He will then attain the highest degree of propelling power, together with the greatest length of stride that is compatible with the length of his body. Weight is not a certain criterion of a terrier's fitness for his work. General shape, size and contour are the main points. And if a dog can gallop and stay and follow his fox up a drain, it matters little what his weight is to a pound or so. Though, roughly speaking, it may be said he should not scale over twenty pounds in show condition. This qualifying points nose, white, cherry are spotted to a considerable extent with either of these colors. Ears, prick, tulip or rose. Mouth, much overshot or much undershot. In order to give some idea of the extraordinary way in which the fox terrier took the public taste, it will be necessary to hark back and give a resume of the principal kennels and exhibitors to whom this was due. In the year in which the fox terrier club was formed, Mr. Fred Burbage, at one time captain of the Surrey 11, had the principal kennels. He was the pluckiest buyer of his day and once he fancied a dog, nothing stopped him till it was in his kennels. He bought Nimrod, Dorcas, Tweezers and Nettle and with them and other discriminating purchases, he was very hard to beat on the show bench. Strange to say, at this time he seemed unable to breed a good dog and determined to have a clear out and start afresh. A few brood britches only were retained and the kennels moved from Champion Hill to Haunton Bridge in Hertfordshire. From thence in a few years came Bloom, Lawson, Tweezers, a second, Haunton Baron, Haunton Bridegroom and a host of others which spread the fame of the great Haunton strain. When the kennel was dispersed at Mr. Burbage's untimely death in 1892, the dogs, 130 lots in all, were sold by auction and realised 1,800 pounds. Haunton Tartar fetched 135 pounds, justice 84 pounds, bliss 70 pounds and scramble 65 pounds. Meziers A, H and C Clarke were at this time quietly founding a kennel which perhaps has left its mark more indelibly on the breed than any before or since. Brockenhurst Raleigh was a most fortunate purchase from his breeder Mr. Herbert Peele and was by Brockenhurst Joe from a bitters' bitch as from this dog came Roysterer and Ruler, their damn being Jess, an old Turk bitch and from Raleigh, by Buff, was bred Ruse and Ransom. Roysterer was a sire of result by many considered the best foxterrier dog of all time and Rusell's own daughter Rachel was certainly the best bitch of her day. All these terriers had intense quality and style due for the most parts to inbreeding. Very little new blood was introduced with an inevitable result and by degrees the kennel died out. No history of the foxterrier could be complete without mention of Mr. Francis Redmond and this kennel going back, as it does, to the Merchison and Luke Turner period and being still today the most prominent one in existence. We can date his earlier efforts from his purchase of Deacon Nettle, the dam of Deacon Ruby. Dusty was the dam of Champion Diamond Dust. Deacon he had from Luke Turner and in this dog we have one of the foundation stones of the foxterrier's touch book as he was a sire of Splinter who in his turn was a sire of Vesuvian. Mr. Redmond's next great winners were Dorsey and Domini, two sterling good terriers the former of which was a sire of Dame Dorsey who, bred to de-spoiler, produced Dame Fortune the mother of Donna Fortuna, whose other parent was Domini. Donna Fortuna considered universally the best specimen of a foxterrier ever produced had from the first a brilliant career for though fearlessly shown on all occasions she never knew defeat. Some took exception to her want of what is called terrier character and others would have liked her a shade smaller but we have still to see the foxterrier taken all round that could beat her. As an outcross Mr. Redmond purchased Dreadnought one of the highest class dogs seen for many years but had very bad luck with him an accident preventing him from being shown and subsequently causing his early death. We must not forget Duchess of Durham or Dukedom but to enumerate all Mr. Redmond's winners it would be necessary to take the catalogs of all the important shows held for the past 30 years. To no one do we owe so much. No one has made such a study of the breed reducing it almost to a science with the result that even outside his kennels no dog has any chance of permanently holding his own unless he has an ample supply of the blood. The great opponent of the Totteridge kennel up to some few years ago was unquestionably Mr. Vickery of Newton Abbott who laid the foundation of his kennel with Vesuvian who was by splinter out of Kohinor and from whom came the long line of winners Vinyo, Vesuvian, Vice-Rigal, Valuator, Visto and Veracity fierce war raged round these kennels each having its admiring and devoted adherents until one side would not look at anything but a Redmond terrier to the exclusion of the Vickery type. The Newton Abbott strain was remarkable for beautiful heads and great quality but was faulty in feed and not absolute as the fronts each of which properties was a scene qua non among the Totteridge dogs. Latter-day breeders have recognized that in the crossing of the two perfection lies and Mr. Redmond himself has not hesitated to go some way on the same road. It is fortunate for the breed of fox terriers how great a hold the hobby takes and how enthusiastically its wateries pursue it otherwise we should not have amongst us men like Mr. JC Tin whose name is now a household word in the fox terrier world as it has been any time for the past 30 years close proximity in those days to Mr. Gibson at Brockenhurst made him all the keener and one of his first terriers was a bitch of that blood by bitters with daughters of old foiler he did very well to wit, pungent, sister of dark-ass while through terror we get banquet the grandam of the spoiler he purchased from Mr. Redmond both deacon diamond and dace each of whom was bred to spies and produced respectively Auburn and Brockenhurst dainty from the latter pair sprang Lottery and Worry the grandam of Tom Nukem to whom we owe Brockenhurst Agnes Brockenhurst Dame and Dinah Morris and consequently Adam Bede and Hester Sorrell it has always been Mr. Tin's principle to aim at producing the best terrier he could irrespective of the fads and his judgment has been amply vindicated as the priceless of every large show will testify and today he is the proud possessor of champion The Surf who has beaten everyone of her sex and is considered by many about the best fox terrier ever seen no name is better known or more highly respected by dog owners than that of the late Mr. J. A. Doyle as a writer, breeder, judge or exhibitor of fox terriers whilst breeding largely from his own stock he was ever on the lookout for a likely outcross he laid great star on terrier character and was a stickler for good goats a point much neglected in the present day dog amongst the smaller kennels is that of Mr. Reeks now mostly identified with oxonion and that dogs produce but he will always be remembered as the breeder of that beautiful terrier even minstrel Mr. Arnold Gillett has had a good share of fortunes favours as the Ridgewood dogs testify whilst the meziers Powell, Castle, Glyn, Dale and Crossweight have all written their names on the pages of fox terrier history ladies have ever been supporters of the breed and no one more prominently so than Mrs. Bennet Edwards who through Duke of Doncaster a son of Durham who at times is almost invincible and which still shelter such grand terriers as Don Caster, Domini, Dodger, Dauphin and many others well known to fame Mrs. J. H. Brown too as the owner of Captain Double a terrier which is one and deservedly more prizes than any fox terrier now or in the past must not be omitted whether the present fox terrier is as good both on the scores of utility and appearance as its predecessors is a question which has many times been asked and as many times decided in the negative as well as in the affirmative it would be idle to pretend that a great many of the dogs now seen on the show bench are fitted to do the work nature intended them for as irrespective of their make and shape they are so oversized as to preclude the possibility of going to ground in any average sized earth this question of size is one that must sooner or later be tackled in some practical way by the fox terrier club unless we are to see a raise of giants in the next few generations their own standard gives 20 pounds a very liberal maximum but there are dogs several pounds heavier constantly winning prizes at shows and consequently being bred from with the result which we see there are many little dogs and good ones to be seen but as long as the judges favour the big ones these hold no chance and as it is far easier to produce a good big one than a good little one breeders are encouraged to use sires who would not be looked at if a hard and fast line were drawn over which no dog should win a prize there are hundreds of fox terriers about quite as capable of doing their work as your ancestors ever wear and there is hardly a large kennel which is not from time to time furnished our leading packs with one or more dogs and with gratifying results it is therefore a great pity that our leading exhibitors should often be the greatest delinquents in showing dogs which they know in their hearts should be kept at home or drafted altogether and it is deplorable that some of our oldest judges should by their wards encourage them before concluding this chapter it may not be out of place as to the breeding and rearing of fox terriers in the first place never breed from an animal whose pedigree is not authenticated beyond a shadow of a doubt and remember that while like maybe get like the inevitable tendency is to throw back to former generations the man who elects to breed fox terriers must have the bumps of patience and hope very strongly developed as if the Tyro imagines that he has only given his bitch to one of the known prize winning dogs of the day in order to produce a champion he had better try some other breed let him fix in his mind the ideal dog and set to work by patient effort and in the phase of many disappointments to produce it it is not sufficient that having acquired a bitch good in all points save in head that he breeds her to the best headed dog he can find he must satisfy himself and be down from many generations good in this particular and consequently pretend to reproduce it's like so in all other points that he wishes to reproduce in the writer's experience little bitches with quality are the most successful those having masculine characteristics should be avoided and the best results will be obtained from the first three litters after which a bitch rarely breeds anything so good or she goes to the dog then feed her well and beyond a dose of castroil some days before she is due to wealth let nature take its course dose your puppies well for worms at eight weeks old give them practically as much as they will eat an unlimited exercise avoid the various advertised nostrums and rely rather on the friendly advice of some fancier or your veterinary surgeon take your hobby seriously and you will be amply repaid do not always crown your efforts as well the breeding of most animals is a fascinating pursuit that of the fox terrier presents many varying delights end of chapter 32 chapter 33 of dogs and all about them this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org all about them for Robert Layton chapter 33 the wire hair fox terrier the wire hair fox terrier is with the exception of its coat identical with the smooth fox terrier full brother in fact to him the two varieties are much interbred and several letters and consequence include representatives of both and not only this but it is quite a frequent occurrence to get a smooth puppy although for some generations neither of the parents may have had any smooth cross in their pedigrees the north of England and south Wales to a lesser extent have ever been the home of the wire hair and nearly all the best specimens have come originally from one or the other of those districts there is no doubt that there was excellent stock in both places and there is also no doubt that though at times this was used to the best advantage of the business in mating and a certain amount in recording the parentage of some of the terriers with regard to this latter point it is said that one gentleman who had quite a large kennel and several stud dogs but who kept no books used never to bother about remembering which particular dog he had put to a certain bitch but generally satisfied himself as to the sire of a puppy when it came in from walk by just examining it there may be cause he so like him and down he would go on the entry form accordingly however this may be there is no doubt that the sire would be a wire hair fox terrier and although the pedigree therefore may not have been quite right the terrier was invariably purebred in the early days the smooth was not crossed with the wire to anything like the extent that it was later and this fact is probably the reason why it is being injudiciously crossed with the smooth than probably by anything else the greatest care must be exercised in the matter of coat before any such cross is affected the smooth that is crossed with the wire must have a really hard and not too full coat and as there are very very few smooths now being shown with anything like a proper coat for a terrier to possess the very greatest caution is necessary a few years back almost incalculable harm was done to the variety by a considerable amount of crossing into a strain of smooths with terribly soft planally coats good looking terriers were produced and therein lay the danger but their coats were as bad as bad could be and though people were at first too prone to look over this very serious fault they now seem to have recovered their senses and thus although much harm was done as a full coated wire hair bitch he is too apt to put her to a smooth simply because it is a smooth whom he thinks will neutralize the length of his bitch's jacket but this is absolute heresy and must not be done unless the smooth has the very hardest of hair on him if it is done the result is too horrible for words you get an elongated smooth full coat as soft as cotton wool and sometimes as silkily wavy as a lady's hair a coat for any terrier to possess and it is not a wire hair terriers coat which ought to be a hard crinkly peculiar looking broken coat on top with a dense undercoat underneath and must never be mistakable for an elongated smooth terriers coat which can never at any time be a protection from wind water or dirt and is in reality the reverse the wire hair has had a great advertisement for better or worse in the extraordinarily prominent way he has been mentioned in connection with faking and trimming columns have been written on this subject speeches of inordinate length have been delivered motions and resolutions have been carried rules have been promulgated etc etc and the one dog mentioned throughout in connection with all of them has been our poor old much maligned wire hair he has been this cape goat the subject of all this brilliancy of understanding the language of the human we may feel sure much amusement would be his there are several breeds that are more trimmed than the wire hair and that might well be quoted before him in this connection there is a vast difference between legitimate trimming and what is called faking all dogs with long or wire hair or rough coats naturally require more attention and more grooming than those with short smooth coats for the purposes of health there is a theory that such animals should be frequently well groomed there is no necessity given a wire hair with good and proper coat to use anything but an ordinary close toothed comb a good hard brush and an occasional removal of long old hairs on the head ears, neck, legs and belly with a finger and thumb the kennel club regulations for the preparation of dogs for exhibition are perfectly clear on this subject that a dog shall be disqualified if any part of his coat or hair has been cut, clipped, singed or rasped down by any substance or if any of the new or fast coat has been removed by pulling or plucking in any manner and that no comb shall be used which has a cutting or rasping edge there is no law therefore against the removal of old coat by finger and thumb and anyone who keeps long haired dogs knows that it is essential not to be none it is in fact most necessary in certain cases at certain times to pull old coat out in this way several terriers with good coats are apt to grow long hair very thickly around the neck and ears and unless this is removed when it gets old the neck and ears are liable to become infested with objectionable little slate coloured knits which will never be found as long as the coat is kept down although ordinarily good coated seem to go all wrong in their coats unless properly attended to in this way and here again if you wish to keep your bitch free from skin trouble it is a necessity in those cases which need it to use finger and thumb if the old hair is pulled out only when it is old there is no difficulty about it and no hurt whatever is occasioned to the dog who does not in reality object at all if however the coat is pulled out it not only hurts the dog but it is also a very foolish thing to do and the person guilty of such a thing fully merits disqualification most of the nonsense that is heard about trimming emanates of course from the ignoramus the knife he says is used on them all a sharp razor is drawn over their coats they are singed, they are cut they are rasped the latter is a favourite term anything like such a sweeping condemnation of hair it is impossible to cut a hair without being detected by a good judge and very few people ever do such a thing at any rate for some months before the terrier is exhibited for if they do they know they are bound to be discovered and as a fact are when the soft coated dogs are clipped they are operated on say 2 or 3 months before they are wanted and the hair gets a chance to grow but even then it is easily discernible that a writer has any experience of clipping dogs in order to cure them of that awful disease follicular mange knows what a sight the animal is when he grows his coat and how terribly unnatural he looks the wire hair has never been in better state than he is today he is, generally speaking far ahead of his predecessors of 25 years ago not only from a show point of view but also in working qualities one has only to compare the variety with dogs of the present day to see this a good many individual specimens of excellent merit it is true they are rare but they do not seem to have been immortalized in this way the portraits of those we do see are mostly representations of awful looking brutes as bad in shoulders and light of bone as they could be they appear also to have had very soft coats somewhat akin to that we see may have been that of the artist or probably amplified by him perhaps the strongest kennel of wire hairs was that owned a good many years ago by messiahs maxwell and casel several champions were in the kennel at the same time and they were a salty lot of nice size and won prizes all over the country jack frost, jacks again, lyfe, barton wonder, barton marvel and several other good ones were in midst of this kennel the two latter especially being high class terriers which at one time were owned by sir h the troughard barton marvel was a very beautiful bitch and probably the best of those named above though barton wonder was frequently put above her sir h the troughard had for years a very good kennel of the variety and at that time was probably the biggest and best buyer mr carrick of carlyle was also a prominent owner years the best being carlyle tack trick and tyro the latter was an exceptionally good dog mr sam hill of sheffield had also a strong kennel always well shown by george porter who is now and has been for some years in america where he still follows his old love mr hill's name will ever be associated with that of his great dog maresbrook brisselts who has undoubtedly done the breed a great amount of good hair who nearly always showed a good one mr mayhew has been in america now for many years one dog of his who it is believed became a champion brisselts did at one time a big business at stud perhaps not to the advantage of the breed for he was possessed of a very bad fault in that he had what was called a topknot ring a bunch of soft silky hairs on his forehead an unfailing sign of a soft coat all over and a thing which this topknot was at one time more prevalent than it is now whether it is a coincidence or not one cannot say and it is a fact that in the writer's experience several terriers possessed of this fault have also blue markings which again are almost invariably accompanied by a soft coat and taking these two peculiarities together it would seem that at some time years ago across with that wonderfully game but exceedingly soft coated terrier the bedlington though if so it would appear that nowadays any effect of it is gradually dying out Mr. George Raper is one of the old fanciers who has for many years owned some of the best specimens of the variety champion go bank perhaps being the most notable go bank was a beautiful terrier there was no denying his quality Mr. Raper sold him to Mr. GM Carnokan of New York for something like 500 pounds probably the biggest price that has ever been paid Mr. Hayward Field is another gentleman who has been exhibiting the breed for very many years and has owned several good terriers the late Mr. Clear had also at one time a strong kennel the best of which by a long way was champion Jack St. Legger Mr. Wharton was a well known exhibitor and judge some time back it was he who owned that excellent little terrier champion Bushy Brim who created quite a furor when first exhibited at the Westminster Aquarium Mr. Harding Cox was years ago a great supporter of the variety he exhibited with varying success and was always much in request as a judge one knew in entering under him that he wanted firstly a terrier and further that the terrier had to be sound Mr. Cox has of course played a big part in the popularization of the Fox Terrier for as all the world knows he was the instigator of the Fox Terrier Club it being founded at a meeting in the small terrier and certainly the specimens shown by him whatever their individual faults were invariably a sporting game looking lot Mr. Sidney Castle has for many years shown white hair Fox Terriers of more than average merit and there all the understand the variety indeed perhaps as well as anybody Mazar's Bartle, Brumby Mutter, G Welch and S Wilson are all old fanciers who have great experience and have bred and shown excellent specimens in mentioning the names of celebrated men and terriers of years gone by reference must be made to a terrier shown some time ago which was as good taken all round as any that have so far appeared this was champion Quintock Netlal afterwards purchased by gentlemen in Wales and renamed Lexden Netlal of correct size with marvelous character and excellent jacket and very tackingly marked head and ears this bitch swept the board as they say and unquestionably rightly so no article on the wire hair Fox Terrier would be complete without mentioning the name of the late Mr. S E Shirley President of the Kennel Club Mr. Shirley was a successful exhibitor in the early days of the variety and while his terriers were a good looking lot though not up to the show form of today they were nearly all the principal judges of the Fox Terrier agreed their maximum is a good little one can always be the good big one the difficulty arises when the little ones are no good and the big ones are excellent it is a somewhat common occurrence and anyone who loves the truly formed dog and who knows what a truly formed dog can do it is an extremely difficult thing to put the little above the larger all big dogs of any sort than dogs half their size short on the leg but bad in these points it isn't reality impossible to make an inexorable rule about this question of size each class must be judged on its own merits end of chapter 33 Chapter 34 of dogs and all about them this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Ian Wray dogs and all about them by Robert Layton Chapter 34 the Airdale Terrier there is perhaps no breed of dog that in so short a time has been improved so much as the Airdale he is now a very beautiful animal whereas but a few years back although maybe there were a few fairly nice specimens in most of this in place of the shaggy soft coated ugly colored brute with large hound ears and big full eyes we have now a very handsome creature possessing all the points that go to make a really first class terrier of taking color symmetrical build full of character and go amply justifying in looks at any rate its existence as a terrier whether it is common sense the fact remains the dog is a terrier a sort of glorified edition of what we understand by the word it is true but in points looks and character a terrier nevertheless and it is impossible otherwise to classify him people will ask how can he be a terrier why he is an outrage on the very word which can only mean a dog to go to ground and to what animal in the country of his birth well can and does perform in a very excellent manner everything that any other terrier can do as a water dog he is of course in his element for work on land requiring a hard strong fast and resolute terrier he is needless to say of great value and he is said to be also when trained as can easily be imagined when one considers his power of scent his strength, sagacity and speed a most excellent gun dog for add to the above mentioned qualities those of probably an incomparable guard and a most excellent companion faithful and true and ask yourself what do you want more and what breed of dog taken all around can beat him the Airdale is not of ancient origin he was probably first heard of about the year 1850 he is undoubtedly the product of the Otterhound and the old black and tan wire haired terrier referred to in the chapters The Fox and the Welsh Terriers when one considers the magnificent nobleness the great sagacity, courage and stateliness of the Otterhound the great gameness, cheek and pertinacity of the old black and tan wire haired such a cross must surely produce an animal of excellent type and character Yorkshire, more especially that part of it round and about the town of Otley is responsible for the birth of the Airdale the inhabitants of the country of broad acres are and always have been in any kind of sport as indeed may also be said of their brothers of the red rose but if in connection with that sport a dog has to be introduced then indeed they are doubly blessed for they have no compers at the game Otterhunting was formerly much indulged in by the people living in the dales of the air and the wharf and not only were packs of Otterhounds kept but many sportsmen maintained on their own account a few hounds for their personal deletion of the packs hunting the otter today but there was unquestionably a good deal of Otterhound blood in them and some pure breadhounds were also to be found Yorkshire also has always been the great home of the terrier Fox terriers, as we now know them had at this time hardly been seen the terrier in existence then was the black and tan wire hair a hardy game terrier a great workman on land or in water whether by design or accident the cross took place between these same hounds and terriers it was found that a handier dog was produced for the business for which he was required and it did not take many years to populate the district with these terrier hounds which soon came to be recognized as a distinct breed the waterside terrier was the name first vouchsafe to the new variety after this they went by the name of Bingley terriers these terriers were used were not a very handsome appearance being what would now be called bad in color very shaggy coated and naturally big and ugly in ear it of course took some time to breed the hound out at all satisfactorily some authorities tell us that for this purpose the common fighting pit bull terrier and also the Irish terrier were used the latter to a considerable extent for his existence in about twenty years time the breed seems to have settled down and become thoroughly recognized as a variety of the terrier it was not however for some ten years after this that classes were given for the breed at any representative show in 1883 the committee of the national show at Birmingham included three classes for airdales in their schedule which were fairly well supported and three years after this from this time on the breed prospered pretty well several very good terriers were bred the hound gradually almost disappeared as also did to a great extent the bad colored ones the best example amongst the early shown dogs was undoubtedly Newbold Test who had a long and very successful career this dog excelled in terrier character and he was sound all over his advent was opportune he was just the dog that was wanted and there is no doubt he had a great amount of good a dog called Cone Crack who was a beautiful little terrier was another of the early shown ones by whom the breed has lost nothing and two other terriers whose names are much revered by lovers of the breed are common deli briar and briar test some years ago when the breed was in the stage referred to above a club was formed to look after its interests and there is no doubt there was a valuable link in the chain of popularity of the Airdale it was at best apparently a sleepy sort of concern and never seems to have attracted new fanciers some dozen or so years ago however a club destined not only to make a great name for itself but also to do a thousand fold more good to the breed it espouses than ever the old club did was in no way an antagonist to the older one and it has ever been careful that it should not be looked upon in any way as such the old club has however been quite overshadowed by the younger which whether it wishes it or not is now looked upon as the leading society in connection with the breed at a meeting of the first club which went by the name of the Airdale Terrier Club held in Manchester some 18 years head long with flat skull but not too broad between the ears narrowing slightly to the eyes free from wrinkle stop hardly visible and cheeks free from fullness jaw deep and powerful well filled up before the eyes lips light ears V shaped with a side carriage small but not at a proportion to the size of the dog the nose black the eyes small and dark in color the body of the Airdale Terrier expression the teeth strong and level the neck should be of moderate length and thickness gradually widening towards the shoulders and free from throatiness shoulders and chest shoulders long and sloping well into the back shoulder blades flat chest deep but not broad body back short strong and straight up hocks well let down the tail set on high and carried gaily but not curled over the back legs and feet legs perfectly straight with plenty of bone feet small and round with good depth of pad coat hard and wiry and not so long as to appear ragged it should also be straight and close covering the dog well over the body and legs should be tan the ears being a darker shade than the rest the legs up to the thigh and elbows being also tan the body black or dark drizzle weight dogs 40 to 45 pounds bitches slightly less at the time of the formation of the southern club the state of the Airdale was critical possessed of perhaps unequaled natural advantages lovely dog as he is he had not made that progress that he should have done he had not been boomed in any way and had been crawling when he should have galloped from the moment the new club was formed however the Airdale had a new lease of life Mr. Holland Buckley and other keen enthusiasts seem to have recognized to a nicety exactly what was required to give a necessary Philip to the breed they appeared also to have founded their club at the right moment and to have offered such an attractive bill of fare that not only did everyone in the south who had anything to do with Airdales join at once but very shortly a host of new fanciers was enrolled and crowds of people began to take the breed up who had had nothing to do with it or indeed any other sort of dog previously some few years after the foundation of this club a junior branch of it was started and this ably looked after by Mr. R. Lauder McLaren is almost as big a success in its way as is the parent institution other clubs have been started in the north and elsewhere and all together the Airdale is very well catered for in this respect and if things go on as they are now going is bound to prosper and become even more extensively owned than he is at present to Mr. Holland Buckley Mr. G. H. Elder Mr. Royston Mills and Mr. Marshall Lee the Airdale of the present day owes much the Airdales that have struck the rider as the best he has come across Clomel Monarch Clomel Marble Dumbarton Lass Tone Masterpiece Mistress Royle Master Royle Tone Chief Huckleberry Lass Felden Fashion York Scepter and Clomel Floraform nearly every one of these is now either in flesh or spirit in the United States or Canada in all probability he has founded the principal club in connection with the breed he has produced several very excellent specimens and it goes without saying that he is when he can be induced to take the ring a first-rate judge Mr. Buckley has frequently told the rider that in his opinion one of the best terriers he has seen was the aforesaid Clomel Floraform but as this dog was sold for a big price very early in his career the rider never saw him most of the articles that have been written on the Airdale and therefore but modest references made to the man who has worked so wholeheartedly so well and so successfully in the interests of the breed he loves it would be ungenerous and unfair in any article on the Airdale written by anyone but Mr. Buckley if conspicuous reference were not made to the great power this gentleman has been and to the great good that he has done the Airdale is such a beautiful specimen of the canine race and is in reality in such healthy state that maybe one of his admirers and they are legion is naturally jealous for his welfare and is wishful that all shall go well with him it is gratifying to state that he has never been the tool of faction though at one time he was doubtless near the brink but this was some time ago and it would be a grievous pity if he ever again became in jeopardy of feeling the baneful influence of any such curse there is one serious matter in connection with him however he realizes to dogs shown in a condition with regard to their coats which ought to disentitle them to take a prize in any company shockingly badly trimmed shoulders are becoming quite a common thing to see in Airdales there is no necessity for this sort of thing it is very foolish and it is impossible to imagine anything more likely to do harm to a breed than that the idea should get abroad that this is the general practice in connection with it end of chapter 34 section 36 chapter 35 of dogs and all about them this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Matthew Ward chapter 35 the Bedlington Terrier this gamest of all the terriers has been known as a distinct and thoroughly British breed for over a century which is I think a fairly ancient lineage there are various theories as to its original parentage but the one which holds that he was the result of a cross between the Otterhound and the dandy dinment suggests itself to me as the most probable one his characteristics strongly resemble in many points both these breeds and there can be but little doubt of his near relationship at some time or other to the dandy the earliest authentic record we have of the Bedlington was a dog named Old Flint who belonged to Squire Travelyn and was welped in 1782 the pedigree of Mr. William Clark Scamp a dog well known about 1792 is traced back to Old Flint and the descendants of Scamp were traced in direct line from 1792 to 1873 a mason named Joseph Ainsley has the credit for giving the name of Bedlington to this terrier in 1825 it was previously known as the Rothbury Terrier or the Northern Counties Fox Terrier Mr. Thomas J. Pickett of Newcastle and Tynes was perhaps the earliest supporter of the breed on a large scale and his Tynesdale and Tyneside in special have left their names in the history of the Bedlington the present day Bedlington like a good many other terriers has become taller and heavier than the old day specimens this no doubt is due to breeding for show points he is a lady dog but not shelly inclined to be flat sided somewhat light in bone for his size very lively in character and has plenty of courage if anything indeed his pluck is too insistent the standard of points as adopted by the National Centuria clubs is as follows skull narrow but deep and rounded high at the occupant and covered with a nice silky tuft or top knot muzzle long tapering sharp and muscular as little stop as possible between the eyes so as to form nearly a line from the nose end along the joint of skull to the occupant without flu eyes should be small and well sunk in the head the blues should have a dark eye the blues and tans ditto with amber shades livers and sandies a light brown eye nose large well angled blues and blues and tans should have black noses livers and sandies flesh colored devil or pincher jord is moderately large well formed flat to the cheek thinly covered and tipped with fine silky air they should be filmate shaped legs of moderate length not wide apart straight end square set and with good sized feet which are rather long tail thick at the root slightly feathered on lower side 9 inches to 11 inches long and scimitar shaped neck and shoulders neck long deep at base rising well from the shoulders which should be flat body long and well proportioned flat ribbed and deep not wide in chest slightly arched back well ribbed up with light quarters hard with close bottom and not lying flat to sides color dark blue, blue and tan liver, liver and tan sandy or sandy and tan height about 15 inches to 16 inches weight dogs about 24 pounds bitches about 22 pounds general appearance he is a light made lady dog but not shelly there is a tendency nowadays towards excessive size in the bedlington it is inclined to be too long in the body and too leggy which if not checked will spoil the type of the breed it is therefore very important that size should be more studied by judges than is at present the case the faults referred to are doubtless the result for exceptionally long heads which seem to be the craze just now and of course one cannot get extra long heads without proportionately long bodies and large size if it were possible to do so then the dog would become a mere caricature as a sporting terrier the bedlington holds a position in the first rank he is very fast and enduring and exceedingly at home on land and in water he will work an otter draw a badger or bolt a fox and he has no superior at killing rats and all kinds of vermin he has an exceptionally fine nose and makes a very useful dog for rough shooting being easily taught to retrieve if he has any fault at all it is that he is of too jealous a disposition to work him with other dogs as he wants all the fun to himself and if he cannot get it he will fight for it but by himself he is perfect as a companion he is peculiarly affectionate and faithful and remarkably intelligent he makes a capital house dog is a good guard and is very safe with children bedlinsons are not dainty feeders if they are kept in good condition and get plenty of exercise they feed as well as any others and are as hard as nails if not pampered they are easy to breed and rear and the bitches make excellent mothers if trained when young they are very obedient and their tendency to fight can in great measure be cured when they are puppies they cannot be done afterwards once they take to fighting nothing will keep them from it and instead of being pleasurable companions they become positive nuisances on the other hand if properly broken they give very little trouble and will not quarrel unless set upon end of section 36 chapter 35 chapter 36 of dogs and all about them this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Dogs and All About Them by Robert Layton chapter 36 The Irish Terrier The daredevil Irish Terrier has most certainly made his home in our bosom there is no breed of dog more genuinely loved by those who have sufficient experience and knowledge to make the comparison other dogs have a larger share of in it wisdom others are more aesthetically beautiful others more peaceable but our Rufus friend has a way of winning into his owner's heart and making there an abiding place which is all the more secure because it is gained by sincere and undemonstrative devotion perhaps one likes him equally for his faults and for his merits his great failings are due to his soldierly faithfulness and loyalty to his too ardent diligence in guarding the threshold to his officious belligerence towards other canines who offend his sense of proprietorship in his master his particular stature may have some influence in his success as a chum he is just tall enough to rest his chin upon one's knee and look up with all his soul into one's eyes whatever be the secret of his attraction and then he makes one value him not for the beauty of his ruddy raiment the straightness of his forelegs the set of his eye and ear the loveliness of his back or his ability to win prizes but rather for his true and trusty heart that exacts no return and seeks no recompense he may be but an indifferent specimen of his kind taken in as a stranger at the gates but when at length the inevitable time arrives as it does all too soon surely one has been harboring an angel unawares statistics would probably show that in numbers the fox terrier justifies the reputation of being a more popular breed and the Scottish terrier is no doubt a formidable competitor for public esteem it is safe however to say that the irish terrier shares with these the distinction of being one of the three most popular terriers in the british isles this fact taken into consideration it is interesting to reflect that this animal was virtually unknown in england it stone in his book on dogs published in 1872 did not give a word of vengeance to the breed and dog shows had been instituted 16 years before a class was opened for the irish terrier the dog existed of course in its native land may indeed be almost truthfully said to have existed as long as that country has been an island about the year 1875 experts were in dispute over the irish terrier and length of hair on forehead and muzzle were indubitable proof of scotch blood his very expression they said was scotch but the argument was quelled by more knowing disputants on the other side who claimed that island had never been without her terrier and that she owed no manner of indebtedness to scotland for a dog because every hair was essentially irish in the same year at a show held at belfast a good number of the breed notable among them Mr. D. O'Connell Slasher a very good looking wire coated working terrier who said to have excelled as a field and water dog Slasher was lint white in color and reputed to be descended from a pure white strain two other terriers of the time were Mr. Morton's fly the first irish terrier to gain a championship and Mr. George Jamison's sport the prominent irish terrier of the 70s varied considerably in type Stinger, who won the first prize at Lisburne in 1875 was long backed in short leg with a dark blue grizzle colored back tan legs and white turned out feet the dam of Mr. Burke's Killany Boy was a rough black and tan a combination of colors which was believed to accompany the best classed coats brindles were not uncommon some were tall on the leg some short some were lanky others cobbie many were very small there were classes given at a Dublin show in 1874 for irish terriers under 9 pounds of weight Jamison's sport is an important dog historically for various reasons he was undoubtedly more akin to our present type than any other irish terrier of his time of which there is record his dark ears were uncropped at a period when cropping was general his weight approximated he was all colored red and his legs were of a length that would not be seriously objected to but in his day he was not accepted as typical and was not particularly successful in the show ring the distinguished terrier of his era was Burke's Killany Boy to whom and to Mr. W. Graham's bitch Aaron with whom he was mated nearly all the pedigree of the best irish terriers of today date back Aaron was said to be superior in her first litter by Killany Boy were Playboy Pretty Last Poppy Gerald Pegg in the second and Peggy every one of whom became famous more than one of these showed the black markings of the grandam and their progeny for several generations were apt to throw back to the black and tan gray or brindle coloring Playboy and Poppy were the best of Aaron's first litter the dog's beautiful ears Poppy Ratler who was sire of bachelor and Benedict the latter the most successful stud dog of his time Poppy had a rich red coat and this color recurred with fair regularity in her descendants red which had not at first been greatly appreciated came gradually to be the accepted color of the irish terriers jacket occasionally attended towards flaxen occasionally to a deep rich auburn but the black and brindle in the year 1890 or there about they were very seldom recurred nowadays it is not often that any other color than red is seen in a litter of irish terriers although a white patch on the breast is frequent as it is in all self colored breeds in addition to the early celebrities already named extreme carelessness Michael Brickback Poppy the second Moya Dulan straight tip and Gaelic have taken their places in the records of the breed and their recent irish terriers who have achieved fame have been Miss Butcher's Bond Boy and Bond Beauty Mr. Wallace's Treasurer Mr. S. Wilson's Bolton Woods Mixer Dr. Smith's Sarah Kidd and Mr. C.J. Barnett's Breda Muddler naturally in the case of a breed which has departed from its original type discussions were frequent before a standard of perfection for the irish terrier was fixed the length or shortness of his limbs the carriage of his tail the form of his skull and muzzle the color and texture of his coat were the subjects of controversy it was considered at one juncture that he was being bred too big and at another that he was being brought too much to resemble a red wire hair fox terrier when once the black marking on his body had been eliminated no one seems to have desired that it should be restored the one and only color for an irish terrier but some held that the correct red should be deep auburn and others that wheaten color was determined to be aimed at a medium shade between the two extremes is now generally preferred as to size it should be about midway between that of the aridale and the fox terrier represented by a weight of 22 to 27 pounds the two breeds just mentioned are as a rule superior to the irish terrier they are front legs and feet but in the direction of these points great improvements have recently been observable the heads of our irish terriers have also been brought nearer to a level of perfection chiseled to the desired degree of leanness with the determined expression so characteristic of the breed and with the length, squareness and strength of muzzle which formerly were so difficult to find this squareness of head and jaw is an important part to be considered when choosing an irish terrier opinions differ in regard to slight details of this terrier's conformation but the official description issued by the irish terrier club supplies a guide upon which the uncertain novice may implicitly depend head long skull flat and rather narrow between the ears getting slightly narrower toward the eye free from wrinkles not hardly visible except in profile the jaw must be strong and muscular but not too full in the cheek and of a good punishing length there should be a slight falling away below the eye so as not to have a greyhunt appearance hair on face of same description as on body but short about a quarter of an inch long and appearance almost smooth and straight a slight beard is the only longish hair and it is only long in comparison with the rest that is permissible and this is not characteristic teeth should be strong level lips not so tight as a bull terrier but well fitting showing through the hair their black lining nose must be black eyes a dark hazel color small not prominent and full of life fire and intelligence ears small B shaped moderate thickness set well on the head and dropping forward closely to the cheek the ear must be free of fringe and the hair there on shoulder and darker in color than the body neck should be a fair length and gradually widen toward the shoulders well carried and free of throatiness there is generally a slight sort of frill visible at each side of the neck running nearly to the corner of the ear shoulders and chest shoulders must be fine long and sloping well into the back the chest deep and muscular but neither full nor wide back and loin body moderately long back should be strong and straight with no appearance of slackness behind the shoulders the loin brought in powerful and slightly arched ribs fairly sprung rather deep than round and well ribbed back hindquarters should be strong and muscular hocks near ground stifles moderately bent stern generally docked should be free of fringe or feather but well covered with rough hair set on pretty high carried gaily but not over the back or curled feet and legs feet should be strong tolerably round and moderately small toes arched and neither turned out nor in black toe nails most desirable legs moderately long and well set from the shoulders perfectly straight with plenty of bone and muscle the elbows working freely clear of the sides pasturn short and straight hardly noticeable both fore and hind legs should be moved straight forward when traveling the stifles not turned outwards the legs free of feather and covered like the head with as hard a texture of coat as body but not so long coat hard and wiry or soakiness not so long as to hide the outlines of the body particularly in the hind quarters straight and flat no shagginess and free of lock or curl color should be whole colored the most preferable bringing bright red, red, wheaten or yellow red white sometimes appears on chest and feet it is more objectionable on the ladder than on the chest as a speck of white on chest is frequently to be seen on the streets size and symmetry the most desirable weight in show condition is for a dog 24 pounds and for a bitch 22 pounds the dog must be present and active lively, lithe, and wily appearance lots of substance at the same time free of clumsiness as speed and endurance as well as power are very essential they must be neither clotting nor cobby but should be framed on the lines of speed or racing outline temperament dogs that are very game are usually surly or snappish the Irish Terrier as a breed is an exception being remarkably good tempered notably so with mankind it being admitted however that he is perhaps a little too ready to resent interference on the part of other dogs there is a heedless, reckless pluck about the Irish Terrier which is characteristic of his consequences with which he rushes at his adversary has earned for the breed the proud epithet of the dare devils when off duty they are characterized by a quiet carous inviating appearance and when one sees them endearingly timidly pushing their heads into their master's hands it's difficult to realize that on occasions at the set on they can prove to have the courage of alliance and will fight until the last breath in their bodies and have the emotion to and have been known to track their master's almost incredible distances it is difficult to refer to particular Irish Terriers of today without making inviduous distinctions there are so many excellent examples of the breed that a list even of those who have gained championship honors would be formidable but one would hardly hesitate to heed the list with the same of Paymaster a dog of rare almost superlative quality Paymaster is the property of Miss Lillian Paul of Weston Supermaire who bred him from her beautiful bitch Erasmick from Brenda Mudler the sire of many of the best side by side with Paymaster Mr. F. Clinton's mile and barista might be placed it would need a council of perfection indeed to decide which is the better dog of the two very high in the list also would come Mr. Henry Ridley's Redeemer and Mr. Brakel's killer in these sport and among bitches one would name certainly Mr. Gregg's Belfast Aaron Mr. Clifton's Chairwoman Mr. Everhill's Erminy and Mr. J. S. McCombs Beast and Betty these are but half a dozen but they represent the highest level of excellence that has yet been achieved by scientific breeding in Irish Terriers breeding up to the standard of excellence in the dark shows has doubtless been the agent which has brought the Irish Terrier to its present condition of perfection and it is the means by which the general dog running public is most surely educated to a practical knowledge of what is a desirable and what and not desirable dog to possess but after all success in the showering is not the one and only thing to be aimed at and the Irish Terrier is not to be aimed at and in this capacity he takes a favorite place is the greater advantage of being equally suitable for town and country life in the home he requires no pampering he has a good hearty constitution and when once he has got over the ills incidental to puppyhood worms and distemper he needs only to be judiciously fed kept reasonably clean to have his fill of active exercise if he is taught to be obedient there is no better house dog he is naturally intelligent and easily trained although he is always ready to make his own part he is not quarrelsome but remarkably good tempered and a safe associate of children perhaps with his boisterous spirits he is prone sometimes to be overzealous in the pursuit of trespassing tabby and in assailing the angles of intruding butcher boys and officious postmen these characteristics come discriminative in his assaults very justly as he classed among the sporting dogs he is a born sportsman and of his pluck it were superfluous to speak fear is unknown to him in this characteristic as in all others he is truly a son of Aaron end of chapter 36 chapter 37 of dogs and all about them this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Bill Moseley Frelsberg, Texas dogs and all about them by Robert Layton chapter 37 The Welsh Terrier this breed is near akin to the wirehair fox terrier the principal differences being merely of color and type the Welsh Terrier is a wirehaired black or grizzle and tan the most taking coloring is a jet black body and back with deep tan head, ears, legs, belly and tail several specimens have however black foreheads, skulls, ears and tail are seen also extending for a short way down the legs there must be no black however below the hawk and there must be no substantial amount of white anywhere a dog possessing either of these faults is according to the recognized standard of the breed disqualified many of the most successful bench winners have nevertheless been possessed of a little white on the chest and even a few hairs of that color on their hind toes and apparently by the common consent of all the judges of the breed they have been in no wise handicapped for these blemishes there are not so many grizzle colored Welsh Terriers now as there used to be a grizzle and tan never looked so smart as a black and tan but though this is so a dark hard color its owner should not be handicapped as against a black and tan if on the contrary it is a washed out bluish looking grizzle a judge is entitled to handicap its possessor apart altogether from the fact that any such color on the back is invariably accompanied by an objectionable light tan on the legs the whole being a certain sign of a soft silky un terrier like coat the coat of the Welsh Terrier slightly differs from that of the wire hair Fox Terrier in that it is as a rule not so abundant and is in reality a different class of coat it is not so broken as is that of the Fox Terrier and is generally a smoother shorter coat with the hairs very close together when accompanied with this there is a dense undercoat one has for a terrier used to work a good deal in water an ideal covering as waterproof almost as the feathers on a duck's back the other difference between the Fox and Welsh Terrier this type is very hard to define to anyone who really understands Welsh Terriers the selection of those of proper type from those of wrong type presents little if any difficulty as a show bench exhibits the Welsh Terrier is not more than 22 years old he has however resided in Wales for centuries there is no doubt that he is in reality identical to the black and tan wire haired dog which was England's first terrier and which has taken such a prominent part in the production and evolution of all the other varieties of the sporting terrier there are several people living in or about Carnarvinshire who can show that Welsh Terriers have been kept by their ancestors from at any rate 200 years ago notable among these is the present master of the Innisfor Otterhounds whose great grandfather John Jones of Innisfor owned Welsh Terriers in or about the year 1760 this pack of Otterhounds has always been kept by the Jones of Innisfor who have always worked and still work from this strain some good terriers have sprung and this although neither the present master nor any of his ancestors have concerned themselves greatly about the looks of their terriers or kept anything but a head record of their pedigrees they are all however purebred and are set much store on by their owner and his family until about the year 1884 no one seems to have considered the question of putting specimens of the breed on the show bench about that year however several gentlemen interested in the variety met together to see what could be done in connection with the matter the outcome being that the Welsh Terrier Club was shortly afterwards founded as the breed and the terrier himself began his career as a show dog the specimens which were first shown were as maybe imagined not a very high class looking lot although the breed had been kept pure no care had been taken in the culture of it except that which was necessary to produce a sporting game terrier able to do its work one can readily understand therefore that such an entirely fancy point as a long foreface and narrow clean skull had never been thought of for a moment and it was in these particulars that the Welsh Terrier at first failed from a show point of view naturally enough good shoulders sound hind quarters more than fair legs and feet and excellent jackets were to be found in abundance but as the body was almost invariably surmounted by a very short and wedge shaped head and jaw often accompanied with a pair of heavy round ears an undershot mouth and a light full eye it will be realized that the general appearance of the dog was not prepossessing and the Welsh Terrier today is very much improved beyond what he was when first put on the bench this improvement has been brought about by careful and judicious breeding from nothing but pure bred specimens no outside aid has been invoked at any rate in the production of any of the best terriers and none has been required it is a matter of great that the breed has been kept pure despite all temptation and exhortation the Welsh Terrier breeds as true as steel you know what you are going to get had popular clamor had its way years ago goodness only knows what monstrosities would now be being bred the color of the Welsh Terrier is of course against him for working with a pack of hounds especially in water it is only fair however to the breed to say that barring this color drawback there is no better Terrier to hounds living they are not quarrelsome show very little jealousy one of another in working can therefore easily be used exercised and kenneled together being much better in this respect than any of the other breeds of terriers they also as a general rule are dead game they want a bit of rousing and are not so flashily showily game as say the fox terrier but just as with humans when it comes to real business when the talking game is played out and there is nothing left but the doing part of the business then one's experience the quiet man the quiet terrier is the animal wanted on the formation of the Welsh Terrier Club a standard of perfection was drawn up and circulated with the club rules this standard has remained unchanged up to the present day and is as follows head the skull should be flat either wider between the ears than the wire hair fox terrier the jaw should be powerful clean cut rather deeper and more punishing giving the head a more masculine appearance than that usually seen in a fox terrier the stop not too defined fair links from stop to end of nose the latter being of a black color the ears the ear should be V shaped small not too thin set on fairly high carried forward and close to the cheek eyes the eyes should be small not being too deeply set in or protruding out of skull of a dark hazel color expressive and indicating abundant pluck neck the neck should be of moderate length and thickness slightly arched and sloping gracefully into the shoulders body the back should be short and well ribbed up the loin strong good depth and moderate width of chest the shoulders should be long sloping and well set back the hind quarters strong thighs muscular and of good length with the hawks moderately straight well set down and fair amount of bone the stern should be set on moderately high but not too gaily carried legs and feet the legs should be straight and muscular possessing fair amount of bone with upright and powerful proportions the feet should be small round and cat like coat the coat should be wary hard very close and abundant color the color should be black and tan or black grizzle and tan free from black penciling on toes size the height at shoulders 15 inches for dogs which is proportionately less 20 pounds shall be considered a fair average weight in working condition but this may vary a pound or so either way disqualifying points nose white cherry or spotted to a considerable extent with either of these colors ears prick tulip or rose undershot jaw or pig jawed mouth black below hawks or white anywhere to any appreciable extent black penciling on toes end of Chapter 37 Chapter 38 of Dogs and All About Them This is the LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Ian Gray Dogs and All About Them by Robert Layton Chapter 38 The Scottish Terrier The Scottish Terrier as a show dog dates from about 1877 to 1879 He seems almost at once to have attained popularity and he has progressed gradually since then ever in an upward direction until he is today one of the most popular and extensively owned varieties of the dog Sir Peyton Piggott had, at the date mentioned a very fine kennel of the breed for in the Livestock Journal of May 30th 1879 we find his kennel fully reviewed in a most enthusiastic manner by a correspondent who visited it in consequence of a controversy that was going on at the time as to whether or not there was such a dog at all and who therefore searched for himself as to this point at the end of his report on the kennel the writer adds these words it was certainly one of the happiest days of my life to have the pleasure of looking over so many grand little dogs but to find them in England quite staggered me four dogs and eight bitches are not a bad beginning and with care and judicious selection and mating I have little doubt but Mr. Piggott's kennel will be as renowned for terriers as the late Mr. Laverix was for setters it was such a delight in the brave little die-hards as Mr. Piggott and he may well feel proud of the lot he has got together at great trouble and expense the fact that there was such a kennel already in existence proved of course a strong point in favor of the bona fides of the breed the best dog in it was Granite whose portrait and description were given in the journal in connection with the said review and the other animals in the kennel being of the same type Granite was unquestionably a typical Scottish terrier even as we know them at the present day he was certainly longer in the back than we care for nowadays and his head also was shorter and his jaw more snippy than is now seen but his portrait clearly shows he was a genuine Scottish terrier and there is no doubt that he with his kennel mates Tartan, Crofter, Syringa, Cavic and Posey conferred benefit upon the breed is a thing which means that he who tries it must be prepared to meet all sorts of abuse ridicule and criticism one man will tell you there never was any such thing as a present day Scottish terrier that the mere fact of his having prick ears shows he is a mongrel another that he is merely an offshoot of the sky or the dandy another that the only Scottish terrier that is a Scottish terrier is a white one another that he is merely an offshoot of the sky it is a most extraordinary fact that Scotland should have unto herself so many different varieties of the terrier there is strong presumption that they one and all came originally from one variety and it is quite possible may probable that different crosses into other varieties have produced the assortment of today the writer is strongly of the opinion that there still exist in Scotland at the present time Scottish terrier a little long-backed, short-legged, snippy-faced, prick or drop-eared mostly sandy and black-colored terrier game is a pebble, lively as a cricket and all in all a most charming little companion and further that to produce our present day Scottish terrier or shall we say to improve the points of his progenitor the assistance of our old friend the black and tan wire-haired terrier of England was sought by a few astute people living probably not very far from Aberdeen Scottish terriers frequently go by the name of Aberdeen terriers an appellation, it is true usually heard only from the lips of people who do not know much about them Mr. W. L. McAndlish one of the greatest living authorities on the breed in an able treatise published some time back tells us in reference to this matter that the terrier under notice went at different periods under the names of Highland, Cairn, Aberdeen and Scotch that he is now known by the proud title of Scottish terrier and that the only surviving trace of the differing nomenclature is the title Aberdeen which many people still regard as a different breed a want of knowledge frequently turned to account by the unscrupulous dealer who is able to sell under the name of Aberdeen a dog too bad to dispose of as a Scottish terrier but there can be no doubt that originally there must have been some reason for the name in a letter to the writer Sir Peyton Piggott says some people call them but the reason of it is that 40 years ago a doctor Van Bust who lived in Aberdeen bred these terriers to a large extent and sold them and those buying them called them in consequence Aberdeen terriers whereas they were in reality merely a picked sort of old Scotch or Highland terrier Sir Peyton himself as appears from the columns of the Livestock Journal March 2, 1877 bought some of the strain of Van Bust the breed assumed quite large proportions and was most successful several times winning all the prizes offered in the variety at different shows he may well be called the father of the breed in England for when he gave up exhibiting a great deal of his best blood got into the kennels of Mr. H.J. Ludlow who as everyone knows has done such a tremendous amount of good in popularizing the breed and has also himself produced such a galaxy of specimens of the very best class Splinter II the name of Kildee is in the breed almost world famous and it is interesting to note that in every line does he go back to the said Splinter II Rambler called by the great authorities the first pillar of the studbook was a son of a dog called Bonacord and it is to this latter dog and Roger Ruff and also the aforesaid Tartan and Splinter II that nearly all of the best present day pedigrees go back who have in their generations of some years back assisted in bringing the breed to its present state of perfection an exception however must be made in the case of two sons of Rambler by name Dundee and Allister names very familiar in the Scottish terrier pedigrees of the present day Allister especially was quite an extraordinary stud dog his progeny were legion and some very good terriers of today owe him as progenator Terry Winston Prince Alexander and Heather Prince he was apparently too much inbred to and though he produced or was responsible for several beautiful terriers it is much to be doubted whether in a breed which is suffering from the ill effects of too much inbreeding he was not one of the greatest sinners the Scottish Terrier Club was formed in the year 1882 in the same year a joint committee drew up a standard of women who were looked upon as great authorities having a good deal to do with it standard points of the Scottish Terrier skull proportionally long slightly domed and covered with short hard hair about three quarters of an inch long or less it should not be quite flat as there should be a sort of stop or drop between the eyes muzzle very powerful and gradually tapering towards the nose which should always be black the jaws should be perfectly level and the teeth square though the nose projects somewhat over the mouth which gives the impression of the upper jaw being longer than the under one eyes a dark brown or hazel color small, piercing, very bright and rather sunken ears, very small prick or half prick the former is preferable but never drop they should also be sharp pointed and the hair on them should not be long and free from any fringe at the top neck short, thick and muscular strongly set on sloping shoulders chest broad in comparison to the size of the dog and proportionally deep body of moderate length but not so long as the skies and rather flat-sided well ribbed up and exceedingly strong in hind quarters legs and feet both fore and hind legs should be long under the body as the Scottish terrier should not be out at elbows the hawks should be bent and the thighs very muscular and the feet strong, small and thickly covered with short hair the fore feet being larger than the hind ones tail should be about 7 inches long, never docked carried with a slight bend and often gaily coat should be rather short about 2 inches intensely hard and wiry in texture and very dense all over the body from 10 pounds to 20 pounds the best weight being as near as possible 18 pounds for dogs and 16 pounds for bitches when in condition for work color, steel or iron grey black brindle brown brindle gray brindle black, sandy and wheaten white markings are objectionable and can only be allowed on the chest and to a small extent general appearance the face should wear a very sharp dog owing to the shortness of his coat should appear to be higher on the leg than he really is but at the same time he should look compact and possess a great muscle in his hind quarters in fact a Scottish terrier though essentially a terrier cannot be too powerfully put together and should be from about 9 inches to 12 inches in height special faults muzzle either under or over hung eyes large or light colored too heavily covered with hair legs bent or slightly bent and out at elbows coat any silkiness, wave or tendency to curl is a serious blemish as is also an open coat size specimens over 20 pounds should be discouraged there have in recent years been many very excellent specimens of the Scottish terrier bred and exhibited preeminent among them stands Mrs. Haney's champion and probably the nearest approach to perfection in the breed yet seen other very first class terriers have been the same ladies champion Gare Mr. Palitz champion Callum Do Mr. McCanlis's Ms. Cosmetic Mr. Chapman's Heather Bob and Heather Charm Mr. Kinnear's Seafield Rascal Mr. Woods Heineman Chief Messers Buckley and Mills and Mr. Dean Willis's champion Huntley Daisy and champion Carter Lattie probably that of all the terrier tribe the Scotty taken as a whole is the best companion he makes a most excellent house dog is not too big does not leave white hairs about all over the place loves only his master and his master's household and is with all a capable and reliable guard he is as a rule a game attractive terrier with heaps of brain power and from a show point of view there is always some recompense in keeping him as it will be found in the course shapes and makes End of Chapter 38 Recording by Ian Gray