Whenever terriers are mentioned, what would come to mind would be small but feisty, very energetic and lively dogs. Terriers are primarily utilized as vermin hunters. Some breeds of terriers have gained recognition in the show ring but these small dogs are most commonly kept as pets.
As such, it is not unusual for breeders to come up with new breeds of terriers every now and then. From existing dogs, a new breed will be created and introduced to the public. Some breeders have taken to creating interesting histories for the newly introduced breed to improve the image and also to boost sales. In most cases though, the gambit of creating a hyped-up campaign would fail so that the newly created breed would have a short existence. It is not uncommon for a newly introduced breed to be declared extinct after having been registered in a book.
Such is the case of the Old English White Terrier. Terriers with varied physical features that are said to belong to the same breed have existed in UK during the 18th century. Terriers that belong to this breed can have drop or prick ears, can have a coat that is smooth, or rough or wiry and can vary in height as well. Dog shows have become so popular during the last years of the 1800s thus breeders have created new breeds from existing dogs. The Old English White Terrier is one of the terrier breeds that were introduced.
To come up with a new breed, breeders classified the already existing white terrier. The pricked eared version was given the name Old English White Terrier. The introduction of the new breed was met by various concerns one of which is the fact that dropped eared and pricked eared puppies would come from the same litter
Just as with any other new breed, the Old English White Terrier has enjoyed a good following for quite a while. The popularity of the new breed waned when the genetic health concerns of the dog surfaced. Being white coated, these dogs suffer from partial or complete deafness making the dog useless as a hunter and as a working dog. The Old English White Terrier has gone extinct because of the breeds genetic health concern.
More information about the Old English White Terrier, its history, origin, personality and appearance can be found at Sarah's Dogs. Here you can also find out about hundredsd of other common and not so common dog breeds.
