Dogs can be great companions on many outdoor and wilderness excursions. I grew up reading wonderful articles written by Ted Trueblood and published in Field and Stream Magazine in which he described the almost human personalities and eccentricities of some of his favorite hunting dogs. At various stages of my life, I have had close bonds with five or six dogs that accompanied me on many jogs, hikes, and rambles through the woods.
Having a dog or two is great encouragement for getting a bit more exercise, even if it's only a daily walk around the block. The dogs obviously like this or longer trips when they can use their olfactory senses and repeatedly "mark" their presence. Confinement in apartments and houses for long stretches of time certainly runs against the natural tendencies of many dog breeds, particularly certain types of small terriers.
Our latest family addition has been variously called Beebee, Trouble, or Scruff Bucket -- depending largely upon her recent conduct and our reactions to it. Back in March we rescued this terrier mix from loitering and scrounging in the parking lot of a local convenience store. She was undernourished and had an injured paw. Our vet said that she weighed only seven pounds and was between six and eight months old.
Jack Russell Terriers have received more recent attention and notoriety for their stubbornness, but many other small terrier breeds (Feists, Fox Terriers, and Rat Terriers) share similar characteristics. They are definitely feisty, lightning-quick, mischievous, entertaining, and eager to hunt for bugs, snakes, squirrels, mice, and most other small critters. Beebee has the head and body of a Rat or Fox Terrier and only the scruffy fur of a Cairn Terrier. Unlike some small terriers with short, stubby legs, she is has long, skinny legs.
Rat terriers are a storied dog breed that dates back centuries to rural and urban Europe. These dogs were bred specifically for family and public service in catching and killing rats, mice, and other above- and below-ground vermin. As more people left rural and farming lives and crowded into cities, lack of public sanitation and garbage accumulation resulted in dangerous levels of rat and mice infestations, as well as related diseases and plagues. A "ratter" was a city resident who bred these small, quick, long-nosed terriers and was paid according to the dogs' success in killing rats and other vermin.
President Teddy Roosevelt apparently had a particular fondness for these small terrier breeds. Wikipedia describes at least two terriers that the President and his family had. Jack was a Manchester Terrier and “absolutely a member of the family.” Scamp was described in another Roosevelt letter as a Fox Terrier who “is really an extraordinary ratter and kills a great many rats in the White House, in the cellars, and on the lower floor and among the machinery. He is really a very nice little dog.”
Almost all of our American Presidents received attention because they proudly owned a particular dog breed. President Obama spent considerable time selecting Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, in part due to the breed’s hypoallergenic trait and one of his daughter’s allergies. George W. Bush’s dog, Barney, was a Scottish Terrier. Bill Clinton had a Chocolate Lab, and George H. W. Bush owned a Springer Spaniel. President Lyndon Johnson had beagles and created a small controversy by holding one called "Him" by his ears and walking him on his back legs. Richard Nixon described a Cocker Spaniel, "Checkers," that a donor had given his children in one of his memorable speeches.
Small terriers, like Beebee, can demand a lot of attention and watchfulness, or it certainly seems so to us, in comparison to the Labs and lap dogs that we’ve also owned. She is ever ready for adventures outdoor every time I start getting ready to leave home, and will accost dogs many times her size if given any provocation. With the ever-rising costs of vet bills and related food and care expenses, having multiple dogs is a luxury and a responsibility that many can’t reasonably assume. The special bond or relationship that forms between humans and their dogs, though, can seem priceless.
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