- Huddersfield Ben
Huddersfield Ben (c.
1865 –23 September 1871 ), an earlyYorkshire Terrier , is universally acknowledged to be the foundation sire of the breed. Stables, Dr. Gordon (1871), "Ladies Dogs As Companions". Retrieved from http://rievaulx.org/history.html on 2007-03-07.] Lane, Marion (2001). "The Yorkshire Terrier: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet", Second Edition, Howell Book House - Wiley Publishing, Inc., ISBN 0-87605-477-7.] In his day Ben won many prizes, both as ashow dog and in ratting contests. He had tremendous influence in setting the breed type for the Yorkshire Terrier, a new breed still under development in Ben's day. Hensley, Carolyn, "The History of the Yorkshire Terrier," compiled from various out of publication texts. Retrieved from http://rievaulx.org/history.html on 2007-03-07.]At the age of 6, Ben was run over by a carriage and killed. After Ben's death, his body was preserved and kept under glass, which allowed many to see this famous dog long after his death.
Pedigree
Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Foster of Bradford, in
Yorkshire county, owned Huddersfield Ben. The dog was bred by Mr. W. Eastwood in the town ofHuddersfield , England. Emmily (2004-11-09), "The Yorkshire Terrier." Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2986158 on 2007-03-07.] According to Ben's pedigree, he waslinebred (the product of a mother-son pairing), as was his mother Lady. ["Origins of the Yorkshire Terrier." Retrieved from http://www.puppypuddles.com/ORIGINS.html on 2007-03-07.] Lady was the great-great-granddaughter of Mr. J. Swift’s Old Crab, a long coated black and tan terrier born around 1850. Old Crab and Old Kitty, aPaisley Terrier owned by J. Kershaw of Halifax, are the earliest recorded predecessors to the Yorkshire Terrier. Watson, James (ca. 1900), "The Dog Book". Retrieved from http://rievaulx.org/history.html on 2007-03-07.]how career
Huddersfield Ben, registration number 3612, had an accomplished career in
dog shows . He competed in Manchester in 1869 and placed second. He was shown again at Manchester in 1870 and won first place. At the Crystal Palace dog shows in 1870 and 1871 Ben took first and second prizes (respectively). Throughout his show career Ben won 74 prizes.Foundation sire
In spite of his short lifespan, Huddersfield Ben was responsible for producing most of the foundation stock of the Yorkshire Terrier. He was an extremely popular stud dog, being prepotent , and especially due to his reputation as one of the first to breed true to type Yorkshire Terriers. Although between 9 -12 lbs himself he regularly sired stock that competed in the under 7 lbs limit
References
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