| Country of origin | Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Sealyham Terrier is a dog breed of the terrier type. The Sealyham Terrier was originally developed in Wales.
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Sealyhams were developed by Captain John Edwardes, at Sealyham House, Pembrokeshire, between 1850 and 1891 in order to be used as pest control to eliminate rabbits, rats and other vermin.[1] It is thought that the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Welsh Corgi, Fox Terrier and the now extinct English White Terrier, have all played a part in the make up of the Sealyham,[1] although no records were kept.[2] He wanted a small white dog with a strong jaw, and a wiry coat. The white coat was particularly prized, as it meant that the hunter wouldn't mix the dogs up with the quarry.[2] After Edwardes' death, other breeders began to work with the breed.[2]
The first Sealyham Terrier club was created in 1908 and the breed was officially recognised in 1910.[2] The Sealyham Terrier now is recognised by all of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world.[3] During the early stages of its recognition, the breed was alternatively known as the Welsh Border Terrier, or the Cowley Terrier.[4]
During the 1920s and 30s, Sir Jocelyn Lucas used the dogs to hunt rabbits and pheasants. Deciding that he wanted a better hunting dog than the Sealyhams that were bred for conformation showing, he cross-bred the dogs with the Norfolk Terrier, resulting in a breed of dog he called the Lucas Terrier, which he described as "death to rats and rabbits".[2]
The Sealyham surged in popularity after the First World War.[2] Within the Hollywood film industry, the Sealyham became a fashionable dog to own by the Hollywood elite. The terrier was owned by actors Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davies and Elizabeth Taylor.[1] Cary Grant owned one which he named Archie Leach – Grant's own real name.[5] Alfred Hitchcock can be seen at the start of his 1963 movie, The Birds, walking two of his Sealyham Terriers in a cameo appearance, although he also owned a third Sealyham which wasn't in the movie.[5] The British Royal Family also favored these dogs, with King George V's owning a dog named Jack.[1] In 1959, one Sunday newspaper reported in the UK, "A notice has been posted in Clarence House and Windsor Castle giving explicit instructions that when Princess Margaret has breakfast in bed, her two Sealyhams must be brought to the room along with her breakfast tray."[6] These two dogs were called Pippin and Johnny, and were looked after by the Queen Mother when Princess Margaret fell ill.[1]
The Sealyham was once one of the more popular terriers,[7] with over 2,000 puppies registered in the UK during the 1920s,[8] and one of the best known Welsh breeds. Today, however, the Kennel Club (UK) lists the Sealyham as amongst the most endangered native breeds.[7] In 2008, registrations of new puppies with the Kennel Club dropped to an all time low of 43, placing it among the bottom three on the list of Vulnerable Native Breeds. In October 2011, British magazine Country Life highlighted the breed on its front cover, with the heading "SOS: Save our Sealyhams",[8] and launched a campaign to save the breed.[1] End of year figures for 2011 showed that 49 puppies were registered with the Kennel Club in the UK, keeping them within the bottom three on the list of most endangered breeds.[6] Harry Parsons, the founder of the Working Sealyham Terrier Club indicated the numbers that the breed needed to aim for, "To sustain a breed... I think you need between 300 to 500 pups a year".[1] The Kennel Club has blamed the decline of the breed on the availability of designer dogs and foreign breeds such as Shih Tzu, and the banning of tail docking which has reduced their ability as working dogs.[1] Paul Keevil, formerly of the Kennel Club's vulnerable breeds committee explains, "Traditionally, soon after Sealyhams were born, their tails were docked in half, that was because they were small working dogs and they quite often got stuck down holes, and so they needed short, strong tails for the owner to pull them out."[5]
A Sealyham Terrier, Ch. Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, won Best In Show at Crufts in 2009, but his victory was not televised as the BBC had dropped the coverage of the competition earlier that year following the controversy after the channel had showed the documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed.[8][9] He had previous won the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in the United States in 2007,[10] and the World Dog Show in 2008.[11]
Sealyhams measurements vary by breed standard according to particular countries. In general, the breed should measure between 101⁄2 up to 12 inches high, measured at the wither, or top of the shoulder blade. Sealyhams should never exceed 12 inches at the withers. They should weigh between 23 and 25 pounds, males being heavier. Length of back should approximate the height. Length of back is measured from the top of the withers to the front edge of the tail. The coat is always white and can come with or without markings in colours including lemon, black, brown, blue, and badger, which is a mix of brown and black. Ticking (speckled markings) on the body is faulted by the UKC, but acceptable in other kennel clubs.[12] Heavy body markings and excessive ticking are discouraged.[13]
Sealyham coats are groomed by stripping, in order to keep the coat from becoming too soft.[14]
A Sealyham puppy is normally very active. As the Sealyham matures, it becomes substanially less active, "displaying an even temper and a calm and relaxed attitude". Sealyhams are not busy dogs so it is necessary to manage their weight through calorie management and occasional exercise, such as a daily walk.
While they are a loyal family dog, they can be trained to be excellent working dogs, making them excellent mousers or ratters. Harry Parsons, described his dogs, "They make great companions, and the way they bond with their owners is almost magical. I keep six indoors, and if someone rings about an infestation and asks us to go ratting, they will know and are out of the door in a millisecond. If you train them, they'll retrieve. They'll do anything to please you."[2]
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