Purina

Other names:

• Rothbury Terrier
• Gypsy Dog

Country/Date of origin:

• England
• 19th century

Height:

• 15 to 17 inches

Weight:

• 17 to 23 pounds

Personality:

• Softer and more gentle than other terriers.
• Intelligent but can be stubborn.

History:

The origin of the breed is a mystery, but it came to popularity in the mining town of Northumberland, England.  Miners brought it underground to clear the tunnels of rats.  Used as a poacher’s dog by gypsies who admired its speed and gameness.  Probably the result of crosses between Whippets and Dandie Dinmont Terriers.  Refined in the 1870’s to its present form.

Body Type:

• Bedlingtons are a dog of curves and arches.
• General appearance is of a racy whippet-like body with a terrier’s coat.
• Head and body are unusually narrow.
• Dewclaws are removed.
• Hanging ears are clipped smooth, except for small silky tassels at the tip.  They are never altered.
• Tail, which is held low, forms a scimitar curve and is not altered.

Coat:

• An unusual mixture of hard and soft hairs.  The feel is described as linty and is crisp but not wiry.
• The coat tends to curl, and show-dog coats are trimmed to one-inch in length with longer topknot and ear tassels.
• Profuse topknot is lighter than the color of the body coat.
• Lamblike appearance requires expert grooming.
• Allowed colors are blue, sandy, or liver often combined with tan.

Health and Wellness:

• Copper hepatopathy.
• Tear duct abnormalities.
• Eye problems.

What you should know:

• A black puppy will turn into a blue adult, and a chocolate-brown puppy will become sandy or liver.  Transformation takes a full year.
• Nonshedding and nonallergenic.
• An excellent watch dog, but a hopeless guard dog.
• Likes to run.