Tenacious Terriers --- Piney Woods Journal Submission 2016
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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