First of all, I would like to thank you very much Swan for the kind words.
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Originally Posted by swan  First, because I am curious to learn your opinion. What is your thesis? |
I will start from the beginning...
Old Crab, Kitty and Whittam's nameless bitch.
Well, I must say that I still have unanswered questions.
I still have many "whys" in my mind.
For example, why did they choose to mix a Clydesdale or Waterside (Old Crab) with a Paisley Terrier (Kitty) for the first time?
Was this pairing a common practice of that time, resembling the contemporary Back Yard Breeders' way of earning money?
Was this pairing a small step to create something new?
Was it an accident?
And if it was an accident why did they repeat it for 6 times?
According to historical data, before 1851 Kitty had 6 litters (maybe all of them by Crab) and 28 dogs (males) from these litters were used to "stock" the area with "rising sires".
The fact that they repeated this mating means that they had potential buyers. The outcome of the first litter was so appealing that they wanted to repeat it.
In my opinion, these dogs were far from being the working man's choice because
they already had the traditional hunting terrier breeds.
A mongrel who had not proved his skills genetically, was useless to them and they wouldn't pay for it. So they (the breeders) had to find another audience to sell their puppies.
Who was that audience?
Two different markets had already formed. The timing was perfect!
First the wealthy ladies in want of a small fancy dog and second the "gamblers" of the time who participated in rat-baiting contests, held in public houses.
The emerging dog shows gave them the opportunity to sell their new fancy creation like hot cookies! And then wealthy Victorians took matters into their own hands. They acquired the best specimens of the breed and turned the breed into something that its founders never dreamed of. A masterpiece of the dog show world, that caught everyone's attention.
This is a possible explanation of how the breed acquired the reputation of both an exceptional show dog and at the same time a vigorous ratter. In both cases you would be able to find potential buyers! For shows and for ratting.
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Originally Posted by MarkFromSea So does all of that debunk the AKC version of yorkie history or compliment it? |
All these compliment the AKC yorkie History