NEW YORK, New York – A Wire Fox Terrier hasn’t won Best In Show at Westminster since 1992 – when Ch. Registry’s Lonesome Dove captured the award – but in the 97 years a Best In Show has been awarded, the Wire Fox Terrier has won it the most.

Will return to the winner’s circle this year?

A Smooth Fox Terrier named Ch. Warren Remedy, owned by Winthrop Rutherfurd, won the first four Best In Show awards presented at Westminster. The first Wire Fox to win the award was Ch. Matford Vic, owned by George W. Quintard, in 1915 and 1916.

Since then, the Wire Fox has won 13 Best In Show awards. The Scottish Terrier is a distant second with seven B.I.S. awards and the English Springer Spaniel is third with five. Several breeds – including the Smooth Fox Terrier – have won four B.I.S. awards.

There are 14 Wire Fox Terriers registered for the 2005 show.

What makes this particular breed so popular?

Well, history says the Smooth and Wire Fox Terriers originated in 19th century England where they were bred to chase a fox out of its den. Weighing only about 20 pounds, fox terriers are a high-energy breed that can be very cheerful and very affectionate.

Smooth Fox Terriers feature an easy-care coat while Wire Fox Terriers must be plucked or clipped, but do not shed.

According to information on the American Fox Terrier Club web site, the fox terrier is an old English breed. For almost 100 years it was registered and shown in the United States as one breed with two varieties – Smooth and Wire. But in 1984 the American Kennel Club (AKC) approved separate standards for both animals and thus they became separate breeds.

Experts feel the two Fox Terriers probably originated from very different sources. The ancestors of the Wire are thought to be the old rough-coated, black-and-tan working terrier of Wales, Derbyshire, and Durham while the ancestors of the Smooth are believed to include the smooth-coated black-and-tan terrier, the Bull Terrier, the Greyhound, and the Beagle.

One of the first records of the breed was made in 1790, when Colonel Thornton’s Pitch – a smooth-coated white Fox Terrier – was immortalized in print and paintings.

Smooth Fox Terriers preceded the Wires in the show ring by 15 to 20 years. At first they were classified with sporting dogs as a tribute to a keen nose and remarkable eyesight. Early breeders crossed Wires with Smooths to give the former predominantly white pigmentation, a cleaner-cut head, and a more classical outline.

However, interbreeding has been almost universally discontinued for many years.

According to the AFTC, “the original breed standard was so well drawn in 1876 by the Fox Terrier Club in Great Britain that, with the exception of reducing the weight of a male dog in show condition from 20 pounds to 18 pounds, changes were unnecessary for many decades. The American Fox Terrier Club, the parent club of the breed in this country, adopted this standard when the club was founded in 1885.”

Some basic qualifications –

General appearance: The Wire Fox Terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on the tiptoe of expectation at the slightest provocation. Character is imparted by the expression of the eyes and by the carriage of ears and tail. Old scars or injuries, the result of work or accident, should not be allowed to prejudice a Terrier’s chance in the show ring, unless they interfere with its movement or with its utility for work or stud.

Size, Proportion, Substance: A full-sized, well-balanced dog should not exceed 151/2 inches at the withers (the bitch being proportionately lower) nor should the length of back from withers to root of tail exceed 12 inches. The dog should be balanced, and this may be defined as the correct proportions of a certain point or points, when considered in relation to a certain other point of points. It is the keystone of the Terrier’s anatomy.

Expression: The eyes should be dark in color, moderately small, rather deep set, not prominent, and full of fire, life, and intelligence; as nearly as possible circular in shape, and not too far apart. Anything approaching a yellow eye is most objectionable. Ears should be small and V-shaped and of moderate thickness, the flaps neatly folded over and dropping forward close to the cheeks.

Coat: The best coat appears to be broken, the hairs having a tendency to twist, and being of dense, wiry texture – like coconut matting – the hairs growing so closely and strongly together that when parted with the fingers the skin cannot be seen. At the base of these stiff hairs is a shorter growth of finer and softer hair – termed the undercoat. The coat on the sides is never quite so hard as that on the back and quarters. Some of the hardest coats are “crinkly” or slightly waved, but a curly coat is very objectionable. The hair on the upper and lower jaws should be crisp and only sufficiently long to impart an appearance of strength to the foreface. The hair on the forelegs should also be dense and crisp. The coat should average in length from 3/4 to one inch on shoulders and neck, lengthening to 11/2 inches on withers, backs, ribs, and quarters.

Color: White should predominate; brindle, red, liver or slaty blue are objectionable. Otherwise, color is of little or no importance.

Temperament: The Terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on the tiptoe of expectation at the slightest provocation.