Bedlington Terriers

The person seeing a Bedlington Terrier for the first time is struck instantly by the dog's lamb-like appearance. That appearance, carefully cultivated for show purposes, has been as much a hinderance as a help, since many people want a dog to look like a dog. 

The Bedlington is a real dog, with characteristics superior to many, despite the glamorous appearance, which includes a narrow, top-knotted head, a roached back and scimitar-shaped, tapering tail. The coat is unlike that of any other Terrier—thick and linty—and comes in a variety of colors, of which the blue is most popular. The blues are born black. 

The Bedlington once was known as the Roth-bury or Rodbery Terrier after the gypsy tribes that roamed the Rothbury Forest. About 1825 a Joseph Ainsley of the mining town of Bedlington gave the breed the name Bedlington and it stuck. The breed now often is associated with the very wealthy, but for many years it was the dog of the people—the coal miners of North-umberland County in England.

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Those miners wanted a lot in a dog and they had it in the Bedlington. He could fight to the death, help in fox hunting, run down a rabbit and hold his own on waterfowl. 

The breed is thought to go back to the first part of the last century. It is believed to be related at least distantly to the Dandle Dinmont Terrier, but while there are apparent similarities there also are wide differences between the two. There undoubtedly was a cross with a long-legged Terrier and there probably was a hound cross as well. Weighing 22 to 24 pounds and from 15 to 16 inches tall, he is particularly suited for the home since his hair never sheds. 

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