The Boston Terrier and French Bulldog are both adorable companions sharing fabulous ears and smooshy flat faces. These small and compact members of the Non-Sporting Group are both popular with city dwellers as they adapt well to an urban environment. But when you see them walking down the sidewalk, can you tell them apart? Although […]

In the COVID-19 era, you better be careful when uttering the word fever. But rest assured, Biewer Fever is all about smiles and plenty of engaging inquisitiveness tossed in for good measure. Welcome the Biewer (pronounced Beaver) Terrier to the American Kennel Club’s full-fledged competition family in the Toy Group. As the AKC’s 197th recognized […]

-Toy Breed Becomes 197th To Be Recognized- [caption id="attachment_120259" align="aligncenter" width="300"]             Courtesy of the Biewer Terrier Club of America and AKC[/caption] The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, announced today that the Biewer Terrier has received full recognition, and is […]

Architecture isn’t just about bricks and mortar. In the angle of a gambrel, or the carving over a doorway, we can sometimes glimpse the spirit of an age. But buildings are static things, their importance often eroded over the decades until a preservationist steps up to remind us of their historical significance. In this respect, […]

Sometimes, in the name of ideology, families get torn asunder. During the Civil War, brothers faced each other across Union and Confederate lines. After World War II, the Berlin Wall separated families, and fates. And in dogs more than a century ago, we had a similar philosophical divide between the fighting dog known as the […]

“When Harry Met Minnie: A True Story of Love and Friendship,” by Martha Teichner. Celadon Books. $26.99. OK, admit it. When you see that book title your first thoughts turn to the popular 1989 romantic comedy, “When Harry Met Sally,” starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Some of the same elements are in this tender, […]

Great Britain has given us a large and boisterous family of dogs called the terriers. Latin buffs know “terrier” derives from “terra,” which means earth. And this scrappy bunch is born and bred to go to ground to battle critters that defend themselves tooth and nail – literally. Today, many terriers have left badger holes […]

A passion for terriers and dog shows led 17-year-old Royal Miller, from Pennsylvania, to become ranked as #7 Junior Handler in the Terrier group. "I never expected to be in the top 10 in my group because of COVID-19," Royal explains. "Yet there I was, winning in juniors and moving up to #7 in the […]

Necessity is the mother of invention, the saying goes. And no dog illustrates that better than the Black Russian Terrier. This relatively new breed – barely two decades in the making – was developed after World War II, when Europe was divided into two geopolitical spheres: the Western bloc led by the United States and […]

Dogdom has quite a few breeds that take their inspiration from other species: The dainty Papillon is named for its butterfly-evoking ears. The Shar-Pei is always channeling its inner hippopotamus. And a number of Asian breeds, from the Pekingese to the Tibetan Spaniel, were intentionally bred to evoke the king of beasts in miniaturized form. […]

Lenore Hedemark, a 14-year-old from North Carolina, is the number-one American Hairless Terrier Junior Handler for the past two years. As an up-and-coming show photographer and active competitor, Lenore began showing dogs at 11 years old. She stepped into the ring for the first time with her aunt's ex-racing Greyhound registered with a Purebred Alternative […]

Dori Anderson, an AKC Breeder of Merit and preservation breeder of Outbackred Australian Terriers, lives in Hartford, Wisconsin. Established in 1983, Outbackred produces show quality Aussies with a focus on temperament, conformation, and structural soundness for future generations. They have produced many AKC Champions.     AKC:  How did you get started in breeding dogs? Dori: […]

When shipwrecks have fantastical endings, they’re usually works of fiction. Think of Gilligan and friends, or the Swiss Family Robinson. But in our canine world, a centuries-old shipwreck is believed to have helped create a real-life dog breed – and one of the most eye-catching of the terriers, to boot. Now, full disclosure: This creation […]

There’s an old Czech saying, “Like dog, like master,” and this applies to no one better than Frantisek Horak, the creator of the Cesky Terrier. Horak persevered through World War II and a communist revolution with terrier-like determination to create his vision of a new hunting breed, the Cesky Terrier— perhaps the only breed with […]

There's something irresistible about toy breeds. They pack so much personality into a small package. And that's especially true for the Toy Fox Terrier and the Miniature Pinscher. Whether it's the TFT's alert intelligence or the Min Pin's fun-loving fearlessness, these two dogs have a lot to offer. But do you know how to tell […]

AKC Breeder of Merit Debarah Billings hails from Bristol, Tennessee. Her breeding program and Windsong Biewer Terriers began in 2009. Her goal was and continues to be breeding for improvement as well as promoting the Biewer Terrier.   AKC: How did you get started in breeding dogs? Debarah: After retiring in 2008, I started my […]

Yorkies are famous for their human-like hair and show-worthy coats, and that's why learning how to groom your Yorkshire Terrier puppy will be an important part of welcoming your new dog into your home. "Grooming is a critical part of owning a Yorkshire Terrier," says Daron Newcomb, a professional groomer with 21 years of experience. […]

There is, carved into a Scottish Highlands farm wall, the image of a short-legged, longheaded, prick-eared, cobbily built dog barking on a wheelbarrow. The image appears to date from around A.D. 200, and is about three-eighths of an inch in diameter, small enough that the viewer cannot make out if the dog is double-coated or […]

When a dog scoots through a tunnel, rocks a see-saw, and scales an A-frame on four paws flying, it's a glorious sight. But spot Rascal, a dog with only three legs sailing through an agility course, and its sweet history in the making. Norwich Newsmaker The 3-year-old Norwich Terrier is the first "tri-pawed" dog to […]

Partially shrouded by the mists of time, the history of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier sometimes reflects the Irish people's gift as storytellers rather than historians. Folklore persists that following the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, a dog swam to the shore of Ireland from a sinking ship. Supposedly, he then bred to […]

The story of “Woodbine, the Pandemic Puppy” starts with Christmas 2019 when James Canavan surprised his wife, Breedette Hayes, with a gift book, “The Curious History of Irish Dogs,” by David Blake Knox. “We live in New York City but are originally from Ireland, so we were keen to learn more about native breeds,” says […]

The craggy, beautiful Isle of Skye, off the northwest coast of Scotland, gave rise more than 400 years ago to the rugged yet elegant terrier that bears its name. With a form that has remained essentially unchanged over the centuries, the Skye Terrier today is still the good-natured, loyal, fearless companion that ferreted vermin out […]

Two days until Christmas and Chandler Ray could not wait to get home. A heavy rain did not deter the 23-year-old as he left his girlfriend’s place in Raleigh, North Carolina, to make the two-hour trip to see his family. His drive had barely started when his vehicle hydroplaned on the wet road, flipped, and […]

When a pup’s age is still counted in weeks, he’d be lucky to get much farther than the front door. But in 1954, a 6-week-old black and tan pup from the sub­ urbs of Sydney made a 7,500-mile journey on Qantas Empire Airways to his new home in La Crescenta, California. His name was Sir […]

Before dog shows were established, a terrier’s primary credential to earn a place to live and regular meals was its ability to dispatch a wide variety of small vermin for work and sport. While most terriers devel­ oped slowly, some were created at the behest of an individual and assumed their familiar form and function […]

In 2004, the multifunctional, even-tempered, and powerfully built Glen of Imaal Terrier became part of the AKC registry's stellar ranks. In doing so, this native Irish breed joined its cousins, the Kerry Blue, Soft Coated Wheaten, and Irish terriers, in the registry. A Tough Terrain, An Even Tougher Terrier The Glen of Imaal Terrier is […]

Peter Holson of McHill’s Border Terriers lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has been involved with Border Terriers for more than 20 years and has bred them for about that long. McHill’s is a brother/sister breeding program. Typically, Peter’s sister, Hillary Zimmerman, whelps and raises pups while Peter is more involved with showing class […]

Let’s just admit it: Getting started in showing purebred dogs can be intimidating. For newbies, it can seem like the other exhibitors have been given the steps to a choreographed dance that they execute with fluidity and flair, while you are left to lurch around the ring with two left feet. And if you happen […]

Salishan Tibetan Terriers, in Tolland, Connecticut, was founded by Gary and Susan Carr. They began exhibiting Tibetan Terriers in 1975 and breeding them in 1979. The Carrs became AKC Platinum Breeders of Merit, and their kennel has produced some of the top show dogs in the country. Their dogs have earned more than 300 AKC Championships and Obedience titles. In […]