Where Tenterfield Terriers Came From

When the early Settlers came to Australia they brought with them small  dogs which were the progeny of Fox Terriers.  Over the years they were mated with Manchester Black and Tans and Whippets to refine the breed and to make them fast.  The Settlers wanted an agile, smooth-coated, small dog to help clean up the increasing rat and mice population as well as be fast enough to catch hares and rabbits.

Over the years dog enthusiasts wanted to be able to show off their wonderful little dogs and to be able to register litters so, thanks to some far-sighted breeders, a concerted effort was made to keep records and to create a standard to which the dogs should be bred.  After many years the Australian Kennel Council accepted the Standard and in  early 2001 the Tenterfield Terrier became officially registered as the newest Australian bred dog.

A search for a suitable name became a priority as registration came closer and although the unofficial name for them was sometimes called Mini Foxie this was a misnomer as the Standard Fox Terrier Club could not, and would not, accept a derivative of their name.  In other words a mini foxie, if we are being truthful, is a "bitsa" .  It is a mixture of breeds which ends up looking like a small  Fox Terrier, but which will never be registered with the governing body, the Kennel Council of Australia.  To have a true mini foxie you would have to breed two small Fox terriers together - not  just two small foxie-like dogs. And so a hunt for a suitable name became a priority.

Many names were put forward but in the end the name Tenterfield Terrier was decided upon.  This was because the Tenterfield saddler, that man of such renown, was known to have many little dogs of this breed.  His fame would help in the recognition of this new Australian. Tenterfield was also the place quoted as being 'the birth of the nation"  and it was deemed appropriate as being the birth of the Tenterfield Terrier.

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