New Complete Dog Book, The, 23rd Edition by American Kennel Club;

Author:American Kennel Club;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing

Meet the Manchester Terrier

Recognized by AKC in 1886 American Manchester Terrier Club (americanmanchester.org), formed in 1958

HISTORY

Manchester Terrier origins can be traced back to the Old English Black and Tan Terrier, a breed that was mentioned in a 1570 manuscript of

Dr. Caius, which was the first written account of dogs of England. Early in the 1800s, poor sanitation policies in English cities resulted in the emergence of hordes of rats and other vermin, creating a great menace to public health. As the need to control these pests ensued, rat-killing contests became one of the most popular sports of the day. Dogs were placed in a public pit filled with rats. The dog who killed the most rats in a given time was declared the winner. A star in the sport, named “Billy,” a dog with decided Manchester Terrier characteristics, was reported to have killed as many as one hundred rats in twelve minutes. His feats in the rat pit gave impetus to the game and consequently to the breeding of swifter-moving rat terriers.

John Hulme, of the Manchester District in Lancashire, was a very enthusiastic devotee of the sports of rat killing and rabbit coursing. He mapped out a breeding program, including the infusion of Whippet blood, which would add greater speed and keener sight to the stolid English terrier, while preserving his alertness, gameness, and endurance. This resulted in a breed that excelled both in the rat pit and along the hedgerow. Others followed Hulme’s lead, and a new type was developed, one that sported a sleeker, more elegant body with more tuck-up and a topline with a slight rise over the loin followed by slightly sloping croup to the tailset. The breed was named the Manchester Terrier, after the district where it was developed.

In the United States, the first Manchester Terrier was registered with the AKC in 1887. In 1923, the Manchester Terrier Club of America was recognized. Through the 1940s, the Toy Manchester Terrier gained steadily in popularity while the Manchester Terrier numbers dwindled; by 1952, the Manchester Terrier Club of America was without organized breed representation. In 1958, to the credit of the American Toy Manchester Terrier Club, the two breeds were combined as one with two varieties (Standard and Toy) along with the formation of the American Manchester Terrier Club.

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