CHAPTER XXXII 

 The Bedlington Terrier 



LTHOUGH there are several differences plainly noticeable 

 between the Bedlington and the Dandie Dinmont terriers, 

 these two are the only varieties which possess certain 

 peculiarities; and as they hail from the Border district, 

 both also from the eastern end of it, there is no reason to 

 doubt that one strain of dogs had much to do with their original formation. 

 We have already expressed the opinion, supporting it with incontrovertible 

 statements, that all of the terrier varieties have been bred down from hounds, 

 and these two breeds we attribute to deteriorations from the old Border 

 sleuth hounds by mongrel crosses. The distinguishing points of these 

 breeds are the ears and the topknot, peculiarities show^n in no 

 other terrier. 



The Bedlington has never been successfully fostered in this country. 

 Off and on some new fancier has thought he saw an opening to take up 

 a neglected breed and imported a few, only to give them up within a year 

 or two. We have never asked why this was so, but we have long since 

 ceased to be surprised when the latest enthusiast drops out. They are not 

 an attractive dog to the average citizen, nor are they peculiar enough to 

 interest him as a novelty. We cannot say whether the drawback which 

 has hurt the breed so much in England is one which exists here also, but it 

 is probably the fact that to show Bedlingtons as they are supposed to look 

 they must be barbered, or to put it more plainly, the judge must be de- 

 liberately deceived by faking and trimming the dog. 



It is a rather dangerous thing to make a sweeping statement, so we 

 will not state that no dog with a woolly or silky topknot can have a sound, 

 harsh body coat, but content ourselves by saying that in judging wire-haired 

 terriers of any description, fox, Irish or Airedale particularly, any indication 

 of linty coat on the skull is considered equivalent to stamping the dog as 

 of extremely doubtful coat. Nature is difficult to twist to the extent of 

 having a radically different kind of coat grow on one small portion of a 



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