Players Cigarette Card

The best word to describe the Bedlington Terrier is "distinctive." With its soft, wooly coat, tasseled ears, and arched back, the Bedlington resembles no other registered breed. In fact, some Bedlington owners have been asked if the animal on the end of their leash was a sheep! The Bedlington is, however, all dog, and has a long history as a feisty hunter, a tireless worker, and a faithful and funny companion.

Bedlington Terrier - J. Nicholson

Like many of the terrier breeds, the Bedlington originated in the north of England. According to some accounts, the breed was used by gypsies and poachers to catch game on the land of the gentry. The Bedlington's speed, endurance, and ability to make a quick kill would have served poachers well. Ironically, the gentry were so impressed by the breed's hunting prowess that they hired the very dogs that were stealing their game to rid their ponds, woods, and outbuildings of vermin.

It may have been in this way that the "gypsy dog" came to the attention of Lord Rothbury of the town of Bedlington in Northumberland County. He became such an enthusiast of the little dog that the breed became known as Rothbury's Terrier (or Rothbury's Lamb). Lord Rothbury's fondness for the breed spread throughout his country. The terrier became a special favorite of the local coal miners, who discovered that its natural instinct to "go to ground" could be put to use ridding the mines of rats. The miners also used the Bedlington for sport, racing them not only against each other but also against the super-fast Whippet-with the Bedlington often coming out the winner.

No one knows for certain which breeds played a part in the development of the Bedlington. It shares certain similarities, and therefore possibly common ancestry, with the Dandie Dinmont, Kerry Blue, and Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. Its arched back hints that the Whippet may have also been used to add speed and litheness to the breed's performance ability. We do know, however, that the first dog to be called a "Bedlington Terrier" was whelped in 1825. The dog was Ainsley's Piper, who started to hunt at 8 months and continued to bring down the most ferocious of otters and badgers even in his blind and toothless old age.

Top of Page