Have you seen this one before? Next door to H.I.'s mother's house in Sheffield there was a woman who bred Bedlington Terriers. Craigie Aitchison used to take his dogs all the way to her from London to have them groomed.
She was preparing this one for a show the day I was there. She bent down and selected him from a bunch of other disorderly Bedlingtons and put him on the display table. He froze stock-still.
She would lift his head a quarter of an inch and he would hold the pose. Adjust a back leg and he would hold that too, for as long as he was required to.
These were born to be show dogs.
I don;t really approve of Dog Shows - in the end it is all about money isn't it? But I adore Bedlington Terriers and knew one for years - his name was Pippin. They are a lovely breed Tom.
ReplyDeleteI think it also has a lot to do with the love of it all, but they are ruthless nevertheless. The dog above was put down because it showed unpredictable, aggressive tendencies. The only way to eradicate those from the blood line is to destroy the ones displaying them.
DeleteI like his paintings of his Bedlingtons often sneaking in when least expected.
ReplyDeleteYes. His best paintings contained a Beddie or two.
Delete'Waynie goes to Heaven', plus even a crucifixion I think. I knew (by sight) the gay couple who took on his dogs after his death. They moved to Bath with them. There were some unpleasant rumours surrounding them. The usual stuff which we have become accustomed to. Same thing happened to my gay, alcoholic cousin before he died.
DeleteNot a fan of dogs, but I do like most terriers, save Jack Russel's. Haven't met well trained Jack Russel's, in 75 years.
ReplyDeleteThey are like Special Forces for rats. The working ones are encouraged to be a bit wildly independent.
DeletePlease see comment Hindi script
ReplyDeleteYes, thanks. It was displayed upside down but I think I detected the mistake.
DeleteThey are washed and clipped or stripped from an early age in this position .
ReplyDeleteThey are sculpted.
DeleteI think we may be more familiar with the Scottish Terrier aka Scottie Dog around these parts.
ReplyDeleteAlso beloved (maybe not nowadays) was the dog who played 'Asta' in the Thin Man series with William Powell and Myrna Loy. I looked up the breed & he was a Wire Fox Terrier.
Was Asta the same breed ad Blondi?
DeleteI’ve never met a dog I didn’t like, but have met a lot dog owners I disliked a great deal.
ReplyDeleteI've met both.
DeleteQuite nice to look at, but I wouldn't want one in the house.
ReplyDeleteI prefer 'uncomplicated' dogs; mixed-race dogs are probably the best.
DeleteOh, I see. Yes, I prefer mongrels too.
DeleteAgree with Doc! Dogs are OK, it's the owners that fuck them up (sometimes)
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes. Some dogs are born cunts.
DeleteI'd love to pet one (or two), but I don't think I'd like to walk around with one.
ReplyDeleteYou think that your choice of animal reflects your projected personality then?
DeleteOf course!
DeleteWhich breed would reflect your personality the best?
DeleteMy dog is an English Setter.
DeleteI first came across Bedlington Terriers whilst living in Northumberland. It was bred in the small town that gave it it's name, Bedlington. It always seemed strange to me that such a dainty dog should be bred in a mining town.
ReplyDeleteHalf dog, half sheep.
DeleteThey used to cross breed them with whippets
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