The Irish Terrier 475 



As may be surmised from our introductory remarks there is no ancient 

 history of this breed. We go back to about 1870 in the longest extended 

 pedigree that can be made up out of the English stud book, or from any 

 other source that we have knowledge of. Some years ago Mr. O. W. 

 Donner asked us to undertake the extending of the pedigree of a son and 

 daughter of his Milton Droleen, and by Breda Muddler. We did so as far 

 as the stud book data would carry the pedigree and then sent the result 

 across the Atlantic to a friend, who had instructions as to every line of 

 investigation to be followed and who to see or write to. Every person lent 

 the readiest assistance and Messrs. Jamison and Graham pored over 

 the pedigree, adding links here and there from their old recollections, but 

 there was no getting any further back than we had already done in the 

 longest extended lines, and they came to an end with dogs that did not go 

 back to 1870. It was only in the extension of the same dog's pedigree, 

 as it reoccurred, that we reached that link. It is not an old breed so far 

 as pedigree making goes, and they did not always come true to colour in 

 the litters either. Others besides ourselves ended the career of what might 

 have turned out to be pretty good "Welsh terriers" had there been such a 

 breed in existence then, but all black and tans went into the water bucket. 

 Mr. Barnett attributes this colour to Killiney Boy, who he says was out of 

 a black and tan dam, but we drowned black and tans before Killiney Boy 

 was known as a sire. 



The good dogs of those days were picked up here and there by good 

 judges, and when it was known that a man would give a good price for a 

 dog he would have dogs offered him from many parts of the country. There 

 was no pedigree behind them, and it was only the judicious mating by such 

 men as Graham, though he was almost an exception in the way of ability 

 in this direction, that laid the foundation for the present good displays of 

 Irish terriers. Belfast was then the headquarters for the breed and it has 

 ever remained so in respect to Ireland, though as may be supposed, there 

 have been and are many other breeders there. In England it was taken 

 hold of by Mr. George R. Krehl, who, upon the advice of Mr. Vero Shaw, 

 then kennel editor of the Live Stock "Journal, kept the name of the breed 

 before the public by means of discussions and letters contributed by himself 

 and friends till the time was ripe for starting a specialty club. This was 

 done in 1879, and in May of that year Dr. Carey, who is still the secretary 

 of the club, issued his first circular giving the names of twenty-five Irish 



