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The Tenterfield Terrier is a dog breed developed in Australia.
By the late 19th century a dog type known as the Miniature Fox Terrier (known colloquially as "Mini Foxies") was well established in rural Australia as a vermin killer and family companion. By the 1920s the dog had become a fixture in urban households.
The name "Tenterfield" is sometimes incorrectly stated to denote the breed's place of origin. Rather, it may have derived from a well known breeder. The dog was bred extensively in and around northern New South Wales. Tenterfield is one of many localities in Australia in which small terriers of this type were kept. The town of Tenterfield is significant in Australian history for the Tenterfield Oration on independence from Britain. Additionally, the owner of the town's saddlery a man named George Woolnough, was immortalized by his grandson entertainer Peter Allen as the "Tenterfield Saddler". Tenterfield residents attest that Mr. Woolnough owned and loved a number of these terriers, however, photographs of these dogs have not yet been discovered.
The name Tenterfield Terrier was suggested in the 1990s by television gardening personality Don Burke, and was adopted during the renaming of one of the then-Miniature Fox Terrier clubs.
Health
A study looking at congenital hypothyroidism in the Tenterfield Terrier found a mutation in the R593W gene to be responsible, this mutation was identified in all affected dogs and 31% of clinically healthy Tenterfield Terriers. A test for the mutation in the R593W gene has been developed and released.
See also
- Dogs portal
- List of dog breeds
- Miniature Fox Terrier
- Fox Terrier (Smooth)