
BC ALL TERRIER CLUB
Airedale Terrier

The Airedale can hardly qualify as a dog that goes to ground for its quarry; it is just too big. However, it is probably the most versatile of terriers, having been bred to hunt fur and feather, retrieve over land and water, and used as a pit fighter, ratter, herder, guard and police dog, and as a guide dog for the blind. Needless to say that dogs of such a multitalented heritage have also excelled in obedience.
The Airedale originated in an area of Yorkshire, England, between the Aire and the Wharfe Rivers as the working man’s sporting dog. Otters fished the rivers and rats were an ever-present problem. Under such circumstances the ideal sporting dog combination would be a few water dogs to hunt the otter, and a couple of terriers to take care of the rats-a combination beyond the means of the average working man. The next best thing was to combine the bloods of both types of dog in the hope that the progeny would inherit all the desired working abilities. Such a cross was made in 1853. A Rough-Coated Black and Tan Terrier was mated to an Otterhound and the result was a dog that could swim and scent game, and was possessed of the keenness of the terrier.
More such crosses followed, and within twelve years the Waterside Terrier, as these cross-breeds were known, became a popular local sporting terrier. Working ability counted for more than appearance and it is said that these early dogs were a mixed lot. In 1864 these terriers were exhibited for the first time at a championship dog show sponsored by the Airedale Agricultural Society classified under various names including Rough-Coated, Bingley, and Waterside Terrier. This situation prevailed for the next few years. Then in 1879 fanciers decided to call their breed the Airedale Terrier, a name that was accepted by The Kennel Club (England) in 1886.
Subsequent crosses to other terrier breeds have been suggested in order to improve outline and standardize breed type. Thus the present-day Airedale has come a long way from its rough-looking progenitor. By selectively mating the “best to the best,” breeders have created a dog rightly known as “the King of Terriers”.
The 1880s saw the first imports of Airedales to this continent. First Canadian registrations are recorded in the StudBook of 1888-1889.
American Staffordshire

A breed developed in North America, the American Staffordshire Terrier is closely related to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Both breeds were derived from crossing the Bulldog with various terrier breeds. But, unlike the Staffordshire Bull, this breed is taller, heavier, straighter in forelimb and somewhat smoother in over-all outline. His ears may be either cropped or un-cropped.
The breed was first known early in the 19th century when dog fighting was a popular spectator sport in parts of the United States. The Staffordshire was intentionally designed as a fighting dog combining the tenacity and courage of the Bulldog with the agility and spirit of the terrier. And he was good at his job, so good, in fact, that at first the American Kennel Club refused to acknowledge the Staffordshire Terrier as a pure breed. But he was admitted to registration by another American-based organization, the United Kennel Club.
Then the breed’s fortunes took a turn for the better. Dog fighting was outlawed in most states in 1900, and breeders of the Staffordshire turned their attentions to producing a more docile animal that would function well as family pet and guardian. Their efforts were successful and the Staffordshire Terrier was admitted to the American Kennel Club’s official roster of pure-breds in 1935.
Later, in January 1972, in order to avoid confusion with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which was then in the process of gaining official acceptance, the American Kennel Club changed the breed name to the American Staffordshire Terrier. This was to be the last of a series of names for the breed that over the years had included the Yankee Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier.
Australian

The Australian Terrier and the Australian Silky Terrier, a toy breed, share the same ancestry. Both breeds were developed in Australia, a process that began in the early 1800s when a puppy from the mating of a pair of broken-coated dogs, blue with tan markings, was taken to England, when her owner emigrated from Tasmania. There this female was mated to a Dandie Dinmont Terrier and some of her offspring eventually came to Australia, taken there by a settler.
Then the experimenting began. It must be remembered that in the mid-19th century Australia was much more isolated from the rest of the world than it is today. And if the Australians wanted a dog of a particular type, they created it out of the materials at hand. Such was the history of the Australian Terrier. From the Dandie Dinmont it was given its topknot; from the Skye Terrier its short legs, long coat, and length of body; from the Irish Terrier the colour of the reds and sandies; and from the Manchester Terrier the rich tan markings of the blue and tans. It has also been said that there were several crosses to the Yorkshire Terrier, presumably to control size. The end product of all these crosses was a lively little dog of typical terrier character and temperament, an efficient rodent killer and watchdog. In short, just what the breeders wanted.
Within a few years these terriers were breeding true to type and made their debut in 1872 at a dog show held in Melbourne. In 1896 the first Australian Terrier Club was founded in that city and a breed standard draughted. Originally both the erect and drop ear was correct, and a slightly smaller dog was called for. The present standard was approved by the Australian National Kennel Council in 1961 and has remained the blueprint for the breed throughout the world.
First specimens were introduced to Britain in 1906, but it was to be another thirty years before the Australian Terrier was granted official recognition by The Kennel Club (England). First Canadian registrations were recorded in The Canadian Kennel Club Stud Book for the years 1936-1937. The breed’s most illustrious member was Australian-bred Ch. Tinee Town Talcbac who won a total of eleven Best in Show awards in his homeland and three all-breed Best in Show awards in the United States.
Bedlington

Both the Dandie Dinmont and the Bedlington Terrier are thought to share the same ancestry, and both are equally obscure. Although today their appearance is quite different, early specimens of both breeds bore a close resemblance to each other. Both were valued as vermin killers and both originated in the north of England. It is thought that the Bedlington was first known in Cumberland County towards the end of the 18th century, and that some specimens found their way into the adjoining county of Northumberland, where they were bred with local terriers. The resultant cross became known by the regional name of Rothbury Terrier.
The breed became popular with coal miners who cross bred the Rothbury to create a terrier-of-all-work, that is, a dog that could work equally well on land and in water, and fleet enough to catch a rabbit. Thus the Rothbury was crossed with the Whippet, and it was at this point that the present-day conformation of the Bedlington was set. While there seems to be some difference of opinion among dog historians as to when the present name, Bedlington, was adopted, all agree on the Rothbury/ Whippet cross. Whether the breed had been renamed before or after the cross, which is said to have occurred in the 1870s, is not significant; what does matter is that the miners had created one of the gamest of terriers, able to swim down an otter, course a rabbit and give a good account of himself in the fighting pit. The Bedlington is said to have become the poacher’s greatest ally and in some parts of England is still known as the “Gypsy Dog.”
It is known too that in the 1870s the Bedlington made its debut in the show ring and soon attracted public attention. In 1875 the National Bedlington Terrier Club was formed, and in 1895 the first breed standard was draughted. Slowly but surely ever since, the breed has been transformed from a rough-looking creature valued more for his working ability than his appearance to a gentle-mannered, elegant show dog and companion.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the Bedlington was introduced to this continent where it was boosted to immediate acclaim when a member of the breed was awarded Best in Show at the prestigious Morris and Essex Kennel Club event in 1947 followed by a similar win at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York in 1948.
The Bedlington Terrier was first registered in Canada in the years 1888-1889.
Border

Prior to the Mid-nineteenth century, the background breeding of the working terriers native to the country bordering the Cheviot Hills in the north of England was so intermingled it is impossible to trace the history of a particular breed farther back than this. And while they now bear little resemblance to one another, it is thought that the Dandie Dinmont, Bedlington, Lakeland, and Border Terriers share the same ancestry. Each has been developed along different lines but all were essentially hard-working terriers used to control the fox population that preyed on livestock.
The birthplace of the Border is considered to be the Northumberland valley of Coquetdale, an area renowned for its terriers. At one time the breed was known as the Coquetdale Terrier. Another local terrier, the now extinct white Redesdale, is thought to be a common ancestor of the Dandie, Bedlington, and Border. As evidence, terrier authorities cite the occasional Border puppy that carries the distinctive topknot and the occurrence of puppies born with white feet and white chest markings.
In 1880 the name Border Terrier took preference over all the local names by which the breed had been known probably because the breed was a favourite hunt terrier and worked with packs of Border Foxhounds. Credit for standardizing type, draughting the first breed standard, and helping to obtain official recognition for the breed belongs to three hunt masters whose families had been associated with working terriers for generations. In 1920 the Border Terrier Club was formed, and shortly thereafter The Kennel Club (England) added this breed to its official list.
For a time a group of breed fanciers were angered that the Border had been elevated to the ranks of the show dog, fearing that such prettifying would be the ruination of the working terrier. However, the Border has remained sturdy and natural, able if need be to run with the hounds all day. The breed’s most distinctive feature is its head which resembles that of an otter.
The Border Terrier was first registered in Canada in the years 1929 -1930.
Bull Terrier

The Bull Terrier is the gladiator of the canine race, who has earned the title “the white cavalier.” The Bull Terrier was developed in England early in the 19th century primarily for bull baiting, but was also used extensively in the pits against dogs, badgers, and vermin. In keeping with these pursuits, the breed is noted for its courage, resistance to pain, and quick thinking-qualities that were inherited from the breed’s immediate forbears, the Bulldog and the Terrier. The original name for these feisty cross-breeds was, quite logically, the Bull and Terrier.
It is reported that the early dogs were an inconsistent lot, blocky headed and variously coloured. But, as breeding progressed, the terrier characteristics predominated. More all-white dogs were being bred, heads became smoother and legs longer. Then, after the abolishment of the bull baiting and dog fighting in Britain in 1835, breeders turned their attentions to the gentler art of breeding dogs for show.
The developer of the present-day Bull Terrier is acknowledged to be James Hinks, who had been experimentally crossing the gamest of his Bull and Terriers with the white English Terrier and the Dalmatian to produce a strain of all-white dogs he called Bull Terriers. A female of Hinks’ breeding, Puss, first of this new breed to be shown, made her debut in 1862. Hard-line Bull and Terrier enthusiasts scoffed at Hinks’ refinement, claiming he had destroyed the breed’s pugnacity. Despite the fact that it was against the law, Hinks took up the challenge. That evening, Puss was matched against a tough Bull and Terrier; she quickly took care of him and not being the worse for wear and tear was returned to the dog show the next morning. Other crosses are assumed to have brought further refinement to the breed. Among the breeds suggested are the Greyhound, Spanish Pointer, and Dalmatian.
Bull Terrier, Miniature

The Miniature Bull Terrier standard is the same as the Bull Terrier with the exception of the following:
Size: Height should not exceed 14 inches (35.5 cm). There should be an impression of substance to size of dog. There is no weight limit. Dog should at all times be balanced.
In general, the Bull Terrier, is the gladiator of the canine race, who has earned the title “the white cavalier.” The Bull Terrier was developed in England early in the 19th century primarily for bull baiting, but was also used extensively in the pits against dogs, badgers, and vermin. In keeping with these pursuits, the breed is noted for its courage, resistance to pain, and quick thinking-qualities that were inherited from the breed’s immediate forbears, the Bulldog and the Terrier. The original name for these feisty cross-breds was, quite logically, the Bull and Terrier.
It is reported that the early dogs were an inconsistent lot, blocky headed and variously coloured. But, as breeding progressed, the terrier characteristics predominated. More all-white dogs were being bred, heads became smoother and legs longer. Then, after the abolishment of the bull baiting and dog fighting in Britain in 1835, breeders turned their attentions to the gentler art of breeding dogs for show.
The developer of the present-day Bull Terrier is acknowledged to be James Hinks, who had been experimentally crossing the gamest of his Bull and Terriers with the white English Terrier and the Dalmatian to produce a strain of all-white dogs he called Bull Terriers. A female of Hinks’ breeding, Puss, first of this new breed to be shown, made her debut in 1862. Hard-line Bull and Terrier enthusiasts scoffed at Hinks’ refinement, claiming he had destroyed the breed’s pugnacity. Despite the fact that it was against the law, Hinks took up the challenge. That evening, Puss was matched against a tough Bull and Terrier; she quickly took care of him and not being the worse for wear and tear was returned to the dog show the next morning. Other crosses are assumed to have brought further refinement to the breed. Among the breeds suggested are the Greyhound, Spanish Pointer, and Dalmatian.