Wire Haired Fox Terriers

    Fox Terriers originated in England for the purpose of chasing down foxes...duh! The breed comes in two variations..the smooth coated dogs and the rough coat, more commonly referred to as Wire Haired Fox Terriers. The breed really escalated in the 1930's, mainly due to the fact that Queen Victoria had them as her personal pets,..and her heir King Edward VII also was a fancier of Wires.
    Wire Haired Fox Terriers are a breed of dog considered by many to be the cream of the crop...just ask my wife. We have had a couple of Wires, but mostly to satisfy her wishes. As previous posts will attest, I am a dyed in the wool Schnauzer fan.
   Our first Wire was Tinkerbelle..and she was a joy to be around. Wide awake and ready to play as soon as the sun made its way into the heavens..

     That's me and Tink during a snowstorm in 2011. As you can tell, she loved the snow and would run through it until her paws got cold. Then it was inside to warm up before she was ready to go out again. I also have a summertime photo of Tink where she took advantage of a water sprinker on a day of 102 degree temperatures.
My favorite photo of the old girl was this one taken after she had been pampered at the local dog parlor and was all gussied up for this shot.

     Tink was a show dog in her early years and lived until she was twelve years of age, dieing overnight in her sleep. We were devastated and did not have a dog for a while, but both my wife and I have always had dogs in our families growing up.
   Cosmo, my miniature Schnauzer, came to live with us when he was eight weeks old, and has become a solid member of the household. He is always within reach of me throughout the day, but Momma sold me on a weak theory of him being lonesome and in need of canine companionship. I ask you,..does this look like the face of a lonesome dog??

     Earlier this year we got a call from a good friend, telling us about a Wire Haired Fox Terrier that was in need of a home. She had been born in Bonham, but sold to a couple up North. Cutting to the chase, the dog was abused and kept in a small kennel all day. The original breeder had the dog returned to Bonham and needed a home for her... and that is how Lillie came to live with us.

      Originally we were just going over to take a look at the dog, but the attraction was instant and mutual so we ended up coming home with her. Wires are most distinctive by their basic white color, with brown around their face and ears, and also a patch (sometimes called a saddle) of black around their mid-sections. Lillie looks like she posed for that description.

     Lillie's father was the Westminister National Champion four years ago and he lives in Pearland, Texas. Wires have won more 'Best In Show' titles (13) than any other breed of dog. We had a bit of concern on how Lillie and Cosmo were going to react when they met as Terriers can be very temperamental sometimes.

      They gave each other the sniff test for about thirty seconds and then the party was on. They have been rough-housing together ever since. Lillie was not housebroken when we got her, but she learned quickly from Cosmo and now is pretty reliable. Cosmo is as regular as the sunrise. He likes to go to bed at ten o'clock and wakes me up at six-thirty ready to go outside to do his business.
   Best of all,..Momma is a happy camper once again. When Tink died my wife was in the hospital and I kept the bad news from her until she was ready to come home. I don't know what hurt the most,...her operation...or the loss of her dog.  But now thanks to Lillie she is back on cloud nine again.. and all it took was the love of a little twelve pound dog.. Thanks Lillie..and welcome home!

 Editor's Note:
Congratulations are in order for 'Sky'...A Wire-Haired Fox Terrier, who won the Westminster Kennel Club's 'Best In Show' title on February 11th, 2014 in New York City.. An update to the above story means there have now been 14 'Best In Show' winners for the Wire-Haired Fox Terrier breed. This is Sky just moments after winning it all in the biggest dog show in the world..