The History of Wire Fox Terriers

Wire fox terriers, also known as the broken-hair fox terriers, are an engaging breed. Favored as a family pet because of their energy, loyalty and friendliness, they were originally bred to hunt foxes and vermin. The wire fox terrier's ability to go into the den after the fox was wildly coveted. Originally thought to be of the same lineage as their Smooth Fox Terrier cousin, American and Westminster Kennel Club researchers discovered they were in fact two different breeds. It should be noted that they were cross-bred in the 1700s in order to get the lighter color we now associate with wire fox terriers.

  1. Ancient Lineage

    • Wire fox terriers are descendants of the black-and-tan terrier native to Wales, Derby-shire and Durham. No one knows for sure how long these terriers roamed the English countryside before the Romans invaded Britain in 54 AD. What is known, is that Pliny the Elder made note of them in his 77 AD book "Natural History."

    Favorite of British Royalty

    • King James I was the first member of the royal family to call for the services of a wire fox terrier as he was an avid dog lover and hunter. In a letter sent to the Laird of Caldwell, he asked for "earth terriers," as the black-and-tan terriers were known at the time, that would be good fox killers. In 1615 he participated in a debate at Cambridge University that argued the use of logic by dogs. Another royal dog lover, Queen Victoria, is said to have had and loved a wire fox terrier; but it was her son, King Edward VII and his dog, Caesar, which catapulted the wire fox terrier into the popular pet it is today. Caesar was King Edward's constant companion. So much so, that upon the death of the king, the little dog followed the funeral procession.

    In the Americas

    • No records are available that trace the first paw prints of the wire fox terriers in the Americas. However, the American Fox Terrier Club, founded in 1876, indicates that both the smooth and wire fox terriers had been so well established in the United States that a club could be both formed and funded. Since then some wire fox terriers have rocketed to fame as several have made their splash in Hollywood. One such memorable wire fox terrier was Asta, who starred opposite Myrna Loy and William Powell in the "Thin Man" films. Other notable wire fox terriers include George, from the movie "Bringing Up Baby" and Chester, in "Jack Frost."

    AKC Sets Separate and Distinct Standards

    • For much of the breed's history, the wire and smooth fox terriers were considered the same breed with different coat types. However, in 1984 the American Kennel Club, in response to overwhelming evidence to the separate lineage of the two terriers, separated the fox terrier into two breeds: wire fox terrier and smooth fox terrier and set distinct and separate standards for each.