In the early 1800’s there was little concern over what a non-descript Terrier looked like. The feature most prized by the men of the day was ability to rid the farms and fields of destructive vermin. For sport, farmers would gather the best of these dogs and wager on their favorites.
“The terrier is applied to several puposes in which its diminutive size, its strength, courage, activity, and perserverance are all called into action. In the office of unearthing the Fox, it is an essential edition to the pack, and a good kennel can scarcely be without them; and it takes to the earth with much eagerness, from which it has received its name. But if the Terrier contribute so much to the enjoyment of the regular sportsman, it offers no less amusement to those of less dignified character, by the feats it displays in the destruction of minor vermin, – the Badger, the Polecat, and the whole tribe of Mustelidae, and particularly the Rat.”
Excerpt from History of British Quadrepeds – The Terrier – Published in 1837 – Author Thomas Bell