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Originally Posted by jencar98  Dog showing started with the wealthy?
I don't know but would have expected the first yorkies shown to come from working class type people. Isn't the history that small dogs were the only dogs poorer people were allowed to have and that was to chase off vermin from the farms and factories?
I found this website page interesting: Political and Environmental History of Terriers
Dog shows were a way for the newly emerging middle class in the UK and the United States to try to bestow status, prestige and exclusivity on themselves. Most terrier breeds were either created or "improved and standardized" at this time. -- a direct result of the selective breeding practices learned with cattle, sheep, chickens and pigeons. |
I'm not talking when just the terriers or yorkies got started in dog showing, I'm saying dog shows in general...Go read the history of Westminster Dog show Kennel Club. It was a rich man's sport. Go look at the history of the Westminster Kennel Club.
Donna