Bedlington Terrier

The Bedlington Terrier is a small dog named after the mining town of Bedlington in Northumberland, in the northeast of England. It was bred to hunt, and has since been raced, shown and kept as a companion. With its curly coat and arched back it is often said to look like a lamb.

History

Before it had a settled name, the breed was known as a “gypsy dog”, because Romani people and poachers hunted with it. It then became the Rothbury or Rodbury Terrier, or “Rothbury’s Lamb”, after the Lord of Rothbury took a liking to it. The first written mention dates from 1825, though some pedigrees have been traced back to 1782. Northern miners kept the dogs as companions and raced them.

The first dog called a Bedlington Terrier was Young Piper, owned by Joseph Ainsley. Piper started on badgers at eight months old, went on hunting until he was blind and lived to fifteen.

Classes for the breed were first held at a show in Bedlington in 1870, and the Bedlington Terrier Club was founded in 1875. Many dogs at the early shows were clipped and dyed. In 1948 a Bedlington named Rock Ridge Night Rocket won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

The breed is closely related to the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, and its arched back points to Whippet blood.

Appearance

The head is rounded with no stop, the eyes are small and almond-shaped, and the lips fit closely. The back is arched and the body is slightly longer than it is tall. Males are ideally 42 cm (16.5 in) at the shoulder and females 39 cm (15.5 in). Both weigh 7.7 to 10.4 kg (17 to 23 lb). The gait is light and springy.

The coat mixes hard and soft hairs and has been described as linty. It forms a topknot on the head. Colors are blue, liver or sandy, each with or without tan points. Bedlingtons carry a graying gene, so puppies born black or dark brown lighten with age.

Temperament

Bedlingtons are sharp, plucky and fast, with plenty of stamina. They swim as well as they run, and they have a tendency to bolt.

Kennel clubs and pet organizations describe the breed as mild, gentle, loyal and good with children, though it can be excitable and headstrong. It gets on with most dogs, but the New Zealand Kennel Club warns against keeping it with dominant ones, because a Bedlington that is challenged fights hard.

Care and health

The coat does not shed and has little odor, but it needs grooming every week to remove dead hair and loses condition quickly without it.

A 2024 study in the United Kingdom found a life expectancy of 13.7 years. The breed has a high rate of copper toxicosis, an inherited disease in which copper builds up in the liver; about 5 percent of living dogs in a UK survey were affected. DNA testing of breeding stock has greatly reduced it. Owners also reported heart murmurs, kidney problems and eye conditions such as retinal dysplasia and cataracts.

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