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NORWICH TERRIER |
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The Norwich was
separated from the Norfolk only recently and has an identical history.
It has many similarities to the Border in size, color and coat, but his
head is more foxlike and he has the erect ear. His ancestors may have
included some of the same brave fellows that produced the Border and his
relative, the Cairn, in the north, and many cynologists feel that red
terriers from Ireland figured in his history. The town of Norwich is in
the county of Norfolk just north of London in the eastcentral area of
England called East Anglia.
In the 1800s,
there was no official recognition of the Norwich/Norfolk, which was just
another general type farm dog and hunting terrier used in the area. In
the 1880s, he became the rage with the undergraduates at Cambridge University
and his popularity soared. Some even felt he should be called the Cantab
Terrier in honor of the collegiate atmosphere which promoted him. In the
early 1900s, the keystone sire was named "Rags." One of the
prominent breeders after World War I was named Frank "Roughrider"
Jones, a horseman, who had Glen of Imaal Terriers and a dark red brindle
Cairn-type bitch. Some of these were bred to Rags, as was a terrier bitch
named "Ninety," of Dandie Dinrnont and hunting terrier stock.
The harsh-coated red progeny were retained by Jones and these formed the
foundation for the Norwich/Norfolk. Early specimens imported into the
USA were often called Jones Terriers.
In America they were utilized
by several Masters of Foxhounds for their original purpose of assisting
the foxhound with the prey that had gone to ground. In fact, the Cheshire
Hunt Club of Philadelphia and a few others of the 1920s maintained
purebred kennels of Norwich to assist in their hunts. Bred to hunt
in packs, they are sociable dogs. Thebreed
obtained official recognition from English and American govern-ing
bodies in the 1930s. Like
the Border* the Norwich is shown in a nearly natural coat. He
is an alert, handsome, and charming fellow who makes a fine companion
as well as a working terrier. Up until 1979, the breed was allowed
to be shown in the USA with either a prick (erect) ear or a small
forward-folding drop ear. At that time, ARC followed the example of
The Kennel CJub of England and called the prick-eared variety the
Norwich Terrier and established a new breed name, the Norfolk Terrier,
for the drop-eared variety. One was named for the town and the other
for the whole county.
They are
very similar except for the ears. "Wich" is the Norwich,
and "wich" is the Norfolk? The Norwich has pointed ears
like a witch's hat, and the Norfolk's ears fold.
Both terriers
do fine in the house, with sufficient opportunity to "stretch
their legs" outdoors. Responsive, but still scalawags, these
little dogs bring to mind the warning of terrier man Jerome K. Jerome,
"Terriers are born with about four times as much original sin
in them as other dogs."
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