Hurricane Deck

It seems like every once in a while the topic of brindle comes up in the Rat Terrier world. Teeth are gnashed and garments are rendered because brindle is not an acceptable pattern in our breed, and the standard says that brindle is a disqualification. The standard probably won’t change any time soon, and I certainly hope that it will NEVER include brindle! Why? The UKC standard says, in the very beginning, that “These terriers probably included crosses between the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Manchester Terrier and the now extinct white English Terrier… Some of these dogs were crossed with Whippets or Italian Greyhounds (for speed) and Beagles (for hunting ability).” Let’s take a look at the ancestors of the Rat Terrier and how their standards treat brindle: Smooth Fox Terrier UKC : Serious Fault AKC: Objectionable Manchester Terrier: UKC: Disqualification AKC: Disqualification Whippet: UKC: Any color/pattern accepted. AKC: Any color/pattern accepted. Italian Greyhounds: UKC: Disqualif

I took the Rat Pack down to a section of state land not far from where I keep my horses so that they could run and play in the creek and try to beat some of the heat we have been having! This was also Fritz's first time out without his splint, and he is doing very well with his healed leg. Bye Mom! My main men! Time to cool off. Fritz loved playing in the water. I love the movement on this dog - even in sand it is practically flawless. Fritz spent most of the hike perched in my arms, watching the big dogs. Raccoon tracks Jada invites Rodear to play Sniper surveys his kingdom Cooling off the pitty paws Rooster tried his best to catch some minnows but was unsuccessful! While pretty, it is not nearly green enough. Bring on the rain!