This article about terriers is taken from a much longer article about various breeds of dogs. It was published in a set of encyclopedias in 1878. —fadedpages.com

Terrier.

TERRIERS.—These include the numerous varieties of Terrier dog, and the Turnspit. The Terrier is a small but very distinct breed, and is probably one of the oldest dogs found in Great Britain. Three distinct varieties exist in this country, viz., the English Terrier, smooth and graceful in form, with sharp muzzle and erect ears, compact body, strong though slender limbs, and tail carried aloft and somewhat curved—the color being black, with the belly and extremities usually tan, but sometimes white; the Scotch Terrier, differing from the former in the shortness of the muzzle and limbs, and in the rough wiry character of the hair, which is usually of a dirty white color; and the Skye Terrier, distinguished by the length and coarseness of its hair, the extreme shortness of its limbs, and the great length of its body. It is of a light brown color. The Terrier in all its varieties is an exceedingly bold, active, and intelligent dog. It was formerly a regular accompaniment to every pack of hounds, for the purpose of unearthing the fox, and to its eagerness in taking the earth it owes its name. Terriers are now chiefly employed in the destruction of otters, badgers, weasels, and rats, a form of sport into which they enter with the greatest ardor, and in which they show the most remarkable dexterity, a celebrated Terrier having been known to kill 100 rats, collected in one room, in 7 minutes. The Bull-terrier is a cross between this breed and the bull-dog, and is one of the most savage and obstinate of its kind. It was the breed chiefly used in the brutal sports of badger-baiting and dogfighting, now almost unknown in England. The Turnspit, a monstrous form of dog, is not confined to any single breed. It is figured on the ancient monuments of Egypt, and occurs among the pariah dogs of India and of Paraguay. In Britain, where they seem to be derived from hounds or terriers, there are smooth and rough turnspits, a name which they owe to their having been formerly employed in turning kitchen spits by working inside a wheel, which when once set in motion forced the dog to continue running. At Caerleon in Monmouthshire, a few years ago, a dog of this kind might have been seen thus employed in the inn kitchen. The turnspit is characterized by great length of body and extreme shortness of limb, the latter being generally crooked. (J. GI.)

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