The Lakeland
Terrier
The Lakeland
Terrier is a dog breed, one of many Terrier breeds, that originated
in the Lake District of England as a descendant of the old English
Black and Tan and Fell Terriers for the purpose of hunting vermin.
The Lakeland
Terrier originated in the Lake District of Cumberland, England near
the Scottish border in the 1800s. He is related to several terrier
breeds and is one of the oldest working terrier breeds still in use
today. His diverse ancestors include the now extinct Old English Black
and Tan terrier, the early Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Bedlington Terrier
and Border Terrier.
For generations,
the Lakeland has been used in the Lake District for the purpose of
exterminating the fell foxes which raid the farmer’s sheep fold
during the lambing season. Whereas most terrier breeds have only to
bolt their quarry, or to mark it by baying, the Lakeland must be able
to kill the foxes in their lair. Despite his reputation for courage
and tenacity, the Lakeland is a gentle and loving companion.
In 1925
the breed attained homogeneity following a cross-breeding with the
Fox Terrier and the Airedale Terrier. The Lakeland Terrier is suitable
for fox and rabbit hunting and for sheep predator control.
In the
Lake District of the UK, the mountainous, rocky terrain is unsuitable
for hunting fox on horseback and foxes were hunted on foot. It has
been suggested that the lakeland terrier's great stamina derives from
running all day with the hounds, unlike his close cousin, the fox
terrier, who would have been carried in a saddle bag to be released
only when the fox had gone to earth.
The working
dog version of the Lakeland is often know as the Fell Terrier or Patterdale
Terrier.
The Lakeland
is similar to the Welsh Terrier and has thick, hard wiry outer coat
and a soft undercoat. The Lakeland comes in 10 colors which are black
and tan, blue and tan, liver and tan, tan grizzle, red, red grizzle,
wheaton, liver, blue, or black. They have an upright tail. Lakeland
Terriers grow to between 33 and 38cm (13 to 15 inches) in height measured
to the withers with a weight of between 7 and 8 kg (15 to 17 lbs).
They are known for their minimal shedding of hair.
The eyes
are small and dark colored. The nose and pads of the feet are black
except in liver colored dogs where the nose and pad coloring will
be liver colored.
The dogs
are friendly, bold, and confident. Shyness is very atypical, as is
aggressiveness. Intelligent and independent minded, especially when
going after prey, they are quick to learn and easy to train, though
Lakelands seem to exhibit 'selective deafness' when their interest
level is aroused.
Most Lakelands
are variants of the Black and Tan saddle pattern, ranging from mostly
Black to almost all Light Tan. Those with a mixture of Black and Tan
on the back are referred to as Grizzle. The other main colour is Solid
Red, which is also very variable, ranging from quite dark to very
light - the lighter ones are referred to as Wheaten. Very occasionally
Liver (Chocolate) and Tan ones are produced. Solid Black was lost
in Britain but preserved in Scandinavia.
Breed Clubs and Societies
This breed of dog is a 'Vulnerable Native Breed'.
History
Of The Lakeland Terrier Club
By Ron Punter
Authors
have often shied away from writing about the clubs history, on the
50th anniversary Biddy Morris (Kelda) simply gave up on it wrote something
about the breed. “How could I write something about all that
falling out and Catherine getting a KC ban etc” she said to
me. The rich pageant of warring factions chronicled in the minutes
is difficult to reconcile with the clubs outstanding success in promoting
the Lakeland Terrier as a show dog. It was only when we reached the
60th anniversary that I felt that sufficient water had passed under
the bridge and we could look back probably more with amusement than
anything else and wrote an article for Terrier World. This latest review
revisits the clubs minutes by kind permission of the committee.
Lakeland
Terriers obtained championship status at the Kennel Club show Crystal
Palace in Oct 1931 It’s about that time that it was decided
to form the Lakeland Terrier Club. The first official meeting was
held at Cheltenham show on the 4th May 1932 and Mrs Fleming (Out of
the West) was appointed the first secretary. Five of the six dog
s
that qualified for the stud book at the KC show had travelled from
Cumbria Nonie Fleming’s was the exception. The meeting was attended
mostly by ladies many of whom, like Mrs Fleming, had Cairns as well
as Lakelands. In some cases the word Lady applies literally –the
first president was Lady Aukeret Jackson, the early meetings waited
patiently for her expected attendance but it was only at the fourth
that she actually turned up, the secretary then read through all the
previous minutes for her benefit –she didn’t come again
but once sent a letter suggesting that the Club amalgamate with the
Association. That idea got short shift. The original club for the
breed was the Lakeland Terrier Association (now long defunct) but
it operated very locally – in 1933 there were 113 members but
only 15 from outside Cumbria, the farthest south of the associations
affiliated shows was Cartmell Agricultural. It’s easy to imagine
why exhibitors from beyond, and indeed within
Cumberland, thought
the need for a club to bring the breed to national prominence.
Within a year the club was split apart when Mrs Fleming and some of
her compatriots tried to ban professional handlers. Records don’t
show which dogs were handled but we do know that two prominent founder
members used handlers: the first bitch CC’s winner Mrs Spence’s
Ch Egton Lady of the Lake was handled by Arthur King (Bowes.) Even
at the local shows the Mokerkin dogs were handled by Tom Meagean’s
close associate Alf Johnston (Oregill –Alan’s grandfather)
and the stud book sometimes gives Mr Meageen’s address as 6
Central Avenue Egremont which was Alf’s abode and a later entry
gives it as c/o George Barr (mostly remembered for Scottish Terriers.)
It’s difficult to imagine how a ban on professional handlers
could be implemented, especially as it was couched round with various
exceptions, and the move failed. Nonie Fleming resigned and wanted
her “Christening Mug” trophies back, this proved a long
running saga even referred to the KC but the club doesn’t have
the mugs so perhaps the Committee christen Mrs Fleming with them!
At an EGM, chaired by Alice Graham Spence, at National Terrier the
club was reformed with Tom Meagean as secretary and Bobby Gibbons
(Kinniside) as treasurer who had also just become secretary of the
LTA. Of all the pre war Lakeland exhibiters Mr Gibbons lived longest
into the modern era and some people will remember his accountancy
business in Maryport auditing the books for local dog societies: His
Ch Zip (breed by Mrs Spence) was the fourth Lakeland to make up. Tom
Meagean, was the most successful pre war exhibiter and the manager
of the Cumberland bus company –the buses had his name on the
side. He owned eight champions; a quarter of the total made up before
the war, and had his affix on another one.
The club didn’t have an official position of chairman in the
constitution until the 1980’s but following the EGM Capt Hudson
of the Braybyns Wolfhounds was “elected” as chairman and
became a steady guiding hand and represented the breed at the KC.
Despite all the problems within the committee the club did fulfil
its objects of building its membership and supporting classes for
Lakelands all over the country. Independent club shows were not the
norm, the clubs Championship show was held in conjunction with a general
one choosing the judge and on one occasion paying his third class
rail fare - to Blackpool. My father used to tell me that “a
third class ride is better than a first class walk” but the
seats were hard and it does seams a bit mean - dread to think what
his overnight accommodation was like still there’s no record
of any other judge asking for expenses. Open shows were also implanted
into general Championship shows “guaranteeing” an entry,
until Challenge Certificates for the breed were allocated to that
show (generally the following year.) Moving round the country in this
way the club brought Lakeland’s to prominence on the national
scene. The clubs many lovely cups were allocated to various shows
over the year.
In 1937 Claris Edwards (Kildale) took over as secretary/treasure and
continued to nominally hold office whilst the club was in abeyance
over the war years. The most evocative minute ever written must be:
“Owing to the outbreak of war the Lakeland Terrier Club became
dormant from 1940 until June 1945.” Alice Graham Spence was
the club president; she often attended meetings by “proxy”
sending Mr Dermot Spence who is perhaps her son. She wrote her very
interesting reminiscences in Dog World breed notes during the war
years these I compiled into a booklet which is still available from
the club. Although there were no shows during the war breeding continued,
the lines narrowed down to a more improved type. Pre war membership
peaked at 50. Post war the membership grew rapidly and by 25 March
1946 had reached 81.
Catherine Fisher (Whinlatter) took over and set of at a whirlwind
pace organising shows - two independent club championship shows in
1946. Unfortunately she was never a democrat and many of her actions
are challenged such as engaging the then editor of Dog World Leo Wilson
to judge, an all rounder rather than a breed specialist. Just imagine
what those old Cambrian Lakeland breeders would think of a judge that
gave a broadcast commentary on his placing via a microphone and battery
back pack. Mrs Fisher mostly got her own way - until she took on Eddie
Johnston (Blackwell.) Catherine was the colonel’s wife and used
to getting her own way, Eddie was a free spirit not to be dictated
to. From his grand advertisements in the annuals you would never guess
that Eddie’s “Kennels” consisted merely of a 10”x8”
shed in a council house garden. Catherine persuaded the club committee
to engage solicitors to investigate the charge made by “a member”
that Mr Johnston had coloured the feet of the bitch Ch Blackwell Minute
Marvel she seems to have overlooked that Eddie had the perfect defence
- he had published photographs of the bitch with the white on her
feet clearly visible. Later it was Catherine that got banned for a
year and although the issue is not clear it looks as thought it was
Eddie that reported her, the Fishers companion Muriel Vaughan nominally
took over, during the period of suspension, though the hand of the
minutes doesn’t change. Perversely the club expelled Eddie for
getting Catherine banned, the KC instructed that an EGM be held to
reinstate him. The irony is that the bitch in question produced Ch
Blackwell Ravelsaye Recruit, sire of 16 champions and the dog from
which all modern day show Lakelands descend in the direct male line.
In 1947 General Championship shows resumed and the club reverted to
the implanted system. Even when the system of hosted club shows was
proving difficult the club carried on with that for a while as it:
“had no wish to fight against the Lakeland Terrier Society”
for CC’s. The Society had been founded by enthusiasts in the
Manchester area in 1950 then latter moved to Yorkshire. Catherine
Fisher continued in office until her death in 1961 and Muriel Vaughan
carried on for a time as secretary, she married the widowed colonel
but he died within a year and then she married their handler Ernie
May; that’s how the famous Whinlatter affix came into the May
family. Miss Johns (St Bega) became secretary in 1962 and her first
duty was to commission the wonderful trophy Lakeland statue to commemorate
Catherine and Col Fisher. This is now featured on the cover of a souvenir
catalogue of the cups and trophies, produced by the assistant secretary,
Carol Ockwell, and published by the club. In addition to photographs
of the cups which are now quite historic in themselves, most date
pre war, it includes many pictures of early show Lakelands, most previously
unpublished, and notes about the donors.
The clubs annual championship show was for a long time held at National
Terrier along with the clubs AGM, A number of Terrier breed clubs
did this until National Terrier, secure in its CC status, decided
it wanted to be independent.
Karen & Cyril Johnson (Cragfell) took over in 1978 the same year
that this author started venturing out of the north and joined the
club. The last show to be held in conjunction with a championship
show was at Windsor –It rained heavily and we were all huddled
round the benches when the judge Joe Blackburn (Culverdale) came round
and shook everyone’s hand which seemed a strange thing for a
judge to do but of course it was in his capacity as LTC chairman.
By that time the hosting of Club shows by the general ones had more
or less finished and didn’t amount to much more than submitting
the names of three judges for the show committee to choose from so
In 1979 the first independent championship show since 1946 was held
at Hailey near Whitney that was the venue for many years and brings
us into modern times when the shows moved to Watlington and Wendy
Bower became Secretary followed by Kirsty Peak. Just eight secretary’s
in 75 years!
Ron Punter
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