These feisty little dogs, the smallest of the terrier family, are short of leg, but long on personality, finds Kate Green.
It was all to do with the ears. Farmers and field sportsmen in East Anglia had long kept bouncy little brown dogs for ratting without worrying a jot about the shape of their ears, but, when dog shows resumed after the Second World War, a redoubtable lady was determined to champion the Norfolk terrier we know today.
Marion Macfie campaigned for the Kennel Club to recognise her favoured drop-eared version of the foxier-faced Norwich terrier —at the time, devotees were divided into two definite camps and things could get acrimonious when the down-turned-ear types were overlooked in the show ring. thus this charming addition to the canine gallery was born.
As a result of Miss Macfie’s efforts, the Norfolk, the smallest and one of the most delightful of the UK’s myriad terrier breeds, with its appealing head, chunky, wriggling body, jaunty, quivering tail and attractive, wiry rust or black-and-tan coat, became official in 1964. the Norwich terrier Club held an emergency meeting and a new breeders’ club was formed with Miss Macfie as president. Ever since, the Norfolk has been winning the hearts of owners who love their compact, sporting little dogs.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning