It reads on the Patterdale Terrier Club of America standards page that «scars received while working will not be penalized» but instead should be looked upon as badges of honor. This is a significant point about Patterdale Terriers, of a type rather than a breed that was initially known as the elite of working terriers.
They were bred as working terriers. In the cold, wet, treeless hills»or «fells»«of Yorkshire and the Lake District in Northern England, the terrain was (and is) rocky and rough, alien to horses»who couldn»t navigate the mountainsides»but home to the foxes that fed on farmers flocks. Huntsmen and whippers needed a dog that could go to ground, rout out the fox, and keep up on the hunts»which often lasted the whole day through. Their creation of Fell Terriers solved this problem.
Because the people needed a terrier, a working dog, and because they needed one small enough to enter fox dens and holes when the fox would not bolt, the Patterdale Terriers were bred to a size of 12 to 13 pounds and under 12 1/3 inches (though today»s type can be anywhere from 8 to 30 pounds). One strain of Patterdale Terrier»a black and red, smooth- and/or rough-coated terrier developed by Frank Buck and Cyril Breay»was especially game, especially hard-working, and tenacious while at work.
Today»s Patterdale Terrier, whether black (which 95% are), grizzled, or liver-colored, are not emphasized for their looks, however. The Patterdale is still a working dog in most circles: it is an ideal hunting companion that men use on their hunts, for example, for raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, and, of course, foxes. It will not retreat or back down in a fight, regardless of the size of its prey/opponent, and will work on command, relentlessly, which is what gives them the reputation of being hard-bitten terriers with the scars to prove it.
Patterdale Terriers»introduced to America in 1978»are also as quiet in the home as they are driven to work outside it, and are loyal to a fault. But as aloof, non-competetitive creatures, they are not considered as just pets. In fact, few people keep them as around the house pets. Instead, the Patterdales are out earning accolades for the scars gotten on the same rough hills and in the same wet and windy woods where their ancestors first earned theirs.
