Lakeland Terrier Breed Magazine - Showsight

THE LAKELAND TERRIER By Pat Rock

I t’s not just form that follows function in an animal; char- acter, too, is shaped in the crucible that forms a working or sporting breed of dog. Th e Lakeland Terrier is much more than one of an array of long-legged wire coated terrier breeds exhibited in the Ter- rier Group at shows around the globe. Th e fascination for those of us devoted to the breed is much more about what is going on in his devious mind than about his smart good looks. Consideration of the breed’s history and development explains their make and shape but also illumi- nates the virtues and foibles of Lakeland Terrier personality. Lake District farmers raised sheep. Foxes came down from the hills sur- rounding the farmland preying on the spring lambs to feed their kits. Out of sheer economic necessity groups of farm- ers sought to control the fox population. Doing so entailed long treks on foot for dog and man up into the mountainous terrain where the foxes had their dens. Hounds were used to follow the trail, but terriers were required to extract or kill the fox. A terrier up on leg was neces- sary because the foxes sought out ledges

carried in saddle bags and used to merely bolt the fox so the hounds could have another run. More often than not the ter- rier had to kill the fox underground. Fox- es in the fells might weigh upwards of 20 pounds; killing one unaided was quite a feat. At the end of the day the terriers had Kimberton All-Terrier Agility Trial Report Dazzle earned 3 Masters JWW legs with 2 +('
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and crevasses. Th e form of a successful terrier had to balance a fine line between being narrow enough to enter the rocky dens and possessing jaws and body of su ffi cient strength to engage the fox. For Lake District farmers this was not sport but pest control. Th ese were not dogs Lakelands competing in the Kimberton, PA All Terrier Agility the week preceding Montgomery 2013. (Left to Right) Bonnie Murphy & Murphy’s *0 4'(*

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