FCI # 140, Origin: Great Britain, Group 3.3 Terriers. Large and medium-sized Terriers. Height: 15-17 in, Weight: 18-23 pounds Grooming: High, Shedding: Low, Coat: Thick doublecoat. This breed do not shed. Color: Blue, Liver, Sandy (pure or with tan). Ease of training: High, Energy level: Medium, Span of life: 15-17 years.

Breed: Bedlington terrier is a very old breed, that??was bred in England about 200 years ago.The first person mentioned in connection with the cultivation of Rothbury Terriers (the ancient name of Bedlington terrier), was a Piper James Allen.

He was born in 1720 in a gypsy camp, that was situated in those days near the border of England and Scotland.??An avid hunter, James famously kept terriers specifically for his favorite otter hunting.

His dogs were divided into two types: high-legged and short legged.??It is believed that the high-legged dogs were the ancestors of the Bedlington Terriers, and the short-legged gave a start for the Dendy Dinmont Terriers.??Rothbury Terriers possessed many excellent working qualities.

They were used for hunting burrowing badger, baiting rats, hunting hares and wild rabbits. Also Rothbury Terriers were working in a packs with Foxhounds and Otterhounds and, moreover, on the dog races.

Smart Terriers became very popular among those farmers, who were found of hunting, small shopkeepers, miners and landed gentry who lived around the mining town of Bedlington. After this town the breed recieved it's final name in 1825.

The earliest known ancestor of all modern Bedlington Terriers was the Rothbury Terrier named Old Flint, who was born in 1782 and belonged to the squire Trevelyan.??And the first Bedlington Terrier, with it's present name was the dog of a liver (light brown) color named Young Piper, who was born in 1820 and owned by James Ainsley.??(Bedlington Terriers with the blue color came later, at the end of XIX century).

In the 60-70-ies of the XIX century T.J. Ricket has done a lot for the development of the breed. He also owned the three outstanding Bedlington Terriers of his time: Tain, Tiarem and Tineside.

In 1867, the first standard for the Bedlington Terrier was issued and approved.??In the same year at the exhibition in the town of Bedlington Tiarem was the best of 52 Bedlington terriers, presented there for the first time.

In 1935 there was published a stud book, where it's originator - Redmarshall - included all??Bedlington Terriers,??known and lived at that time in England.??This book was reprinted nowadays.

Complemented and provided with commentary, it was included in the book "Bedlington Terrier" by Ken Boundy (English expert of the breed), printed in 1990.In addition this book contains a list of English champions of the breed from the end of XIX century till nowadays and them photos, in particular a number of Bedlington Terriers, bred in Foggyfez kennel (from 1944 to 1975), which are known by the significant effect they had on the development of the breed.

Among those dogs is a multiple Champion and a famous Bedlington Terrier named Foggifez Classic (1954), which is now included by the British experts in the Top three Bedlingtons at all time.??In addition to the National Bedlington Terrier Club and the Midland club in 1934 in England ??there was created the Bedlington Terrier Association.??It is uniting all Bedlington Terrier fanciers from around the world.

This Association, due to it's goal - to preserve the breed - is??organizing??the Bedlington Terrier Shows, has a dog rescue service and finds the new owners and new homes for abandoned Bedlington Terriers, publishes the information about the new litters and??introduces the??breeders and the prospective buyers to each other.??Twice a year the Association is issuing a newsletter and organizing the workshops.

General Features: The most characteristic feature of the Bedlington Terrier, in addition to his fearless disposition, can be called his curly coat. People say about these dogs: "The head of the lamb and the heart of a lion."??Bedlington Terriers were always a fearless hunters, fighters and racers.??They are very??agile, this dogs are literally full of energy.Bedlington Terriers indeed look like a little lambs - the head is pear-shaped with a funny curly "hat". The chest is deep, the back is arched (the more - the better). Ears and tale are never docked. Eyes are almond-shaped, dark brown.??The coat of a Bedlington Terrier is soft, standing out. It comes in blue, liver, sandy, blue and tan, liver and tan, sandy and tan colors.

Temperament: In the books you can find a lot of amazing stories about the Bedlington Terrier. That stories are hard to believe until you get to know the breed better.??So, in the competitions for baiting rats (now banned) Bedlington Terriers could kill up to a hundred animals in ten minutes.??There are cases when the Bedlington Terrier could skip the gun shots at close range.??And what about the story of how three Bedlington Terriers could stop and hold a bear until the rangers arrived to the place???At the beginning of the century Bedlington Terriers were truly a versatile dogs: hunting, ??participating in the dog fights, circuses and dog races.

You certainly may think, that these little stories are just some sort of a fairy tales, but the fanciers of this breed believe the opposite.

We all know that sometimes looks can be deceiving: the pretty appeal may be hiding a bad character or bad health, but with a Bedlington Terrier this is not happening.

Already from the first walk you will be able to discover this wonderful dog, and realize that this is not just a soft toy, madly in love with you, but a fearless (despite his small size) defender, who will not allow anyone to offend his master.??Bedlington Terrier is so unusual that sometimes you forget that he is actually a dog.??A small puppy is already able to show the intelligence and character of an adult dog.??Bedlington Terrier is a perfect companion, who would be happy to live with your interests, he will never disturb you if you are busy and he will be always happy to accompany you everywhere and anywhere you go.

The only obstacle in communicating with him - Bedlington Terrier does not tolerate any disrespect and unintelligent treatment.??He is absolutely clean - never, even in the game, he will step into the dirt with his paw.??Unlike most of terriers in the process of trimming the hair of Bedlington Terriers is not pulled out. His fancy hairstyle is created with the help of scissors.

Bedlington Terrier has a strong popularity in many countries around the world, although never was too popular.??And it should be noted that the biggest love Bedlington enjoyed in aristocratic circles of the most developed countries such as Germany, Sweden, Holland and Finland.??In these exactly countries the fanciers of the breed have achieved the greatest success in breeding.??The Homeland of a Bedlington Terrier, Great Britain, ought to be on this list in the first place, but due to the well-known isolation one can not accurately say whose dogs are better: from the island or the from the mainland.??In the U.S., Bedlington Terriers are somewhat different in appearance from European counterparts, as the American Kennel Club has it's own vision of the breed and it's standard.

Health problems: This generally healthy breed is unfortunately well known to carry a Cooper Toxicosis - serious liver disorder. The Bedlington Terrier??Association is operating a subcommittee????to monitor this genetic liver disease. Those Bedlington Terriers, who did not pass the liver biopsy are not allowed for breeding.

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